Avatar Aang was not alone in his adventures up to seventy years ago, and neither is Avatar Korra today, as she realized being a hero would be too much to handle alone. This section details the titular Avatar Korra and her closest human (and animal) companions in her adventures.

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General

The Ace: All four of them are incredibly skilled prodigies in their various fields and can rival anybody with their prowess (as explained in detail in their character pages). Even Bolin, who initially subverted this trend, becomes this in Book 4 after fully mastering Lavabending.

All-Loving Hero: By the series finale, all of them have proven to go to any lengths to help those in need.

Amicable Exes: Considering how horrendously messy the love quadrangle got between the four, they all eventually mature enough to put it behind them and be great friends.

And the Adventure Continues: After defeating Kuvira and her Army, the group knows that they'll have other battles to fight in the future, but the series ends with them enjoying the peace they managed to earn.

Anti-Hero Team: With the exception of Asami, who is already a true-blue hero, the team is made up of such; the titular heroine is a noble, yet rude, brash and confrontational Anti-Hero, and Mako and Bolin are ex-criminals.

Badass Crew: As mentioned above individually every member of the Krew is formidable on their own, when together in a group or pair they tend to be almost unstoppable to all but the most dangerous of villains (this is especially apparent whenever their Honorary True Companions join in on a fight). They can take on threat no army or police can handle.

Breaking the Fellowship: In Book 4, after the Time Skip; Mako and Asami are pursuing their own lives in Republic City, Bolin has signed on with Knight Templar Kuvira, and Korra is still trying to recover from the events of Book 3. Korra eventually mends her body, mind, and spirit, Bolin eventually sees Kuvira for the despot she is and bails, and Mako and Asami were still around in Republic City and welcomed the other two back with open arms.

Break the Cutie: Each member has gone through moments that have personally damaged them and some part of their innocence, even Bolin's moments that are mostly Played for Laughs (i.e.running in tears after seeing Mako and Korra kiss), are hard to watch.

Broken Ace: They all suffer a lot of personal heartbreaks and tragedies, both in the past and over the course of all four books, that change them as characters.

Cool People Rebel Against Authority: They just wouldn't be Team Avatar without this trope. The premise behind their formation was that they are aces who wanted to stick it to The Man (that man being Tarrlok), and fight injustice on their own terms. Plus, much of the authority figures they clashed with are obstructive jerks anyways, from Tarrlok to even the Earth Queen.

Costume Evolution: In Book 4, all of them have new outfits that serve symbolize how each of them grown.

Dating Do-Si-Do: In Book One Mako and Asami date, which leads to Korra and Bolin going on one date, before Mako begins two timing both Korra and Asami. With Bolin out, the Korra-Mako-Asami triangle eventually self destructs by the end of Book Two. The Grand Finale of Book Four has Korra and Asami get together instead. In contrast to the original Team Avatar (Aang and Katara, Sokka and Suki) Korra at least entertained the option of every member of her team, and Mako and Asami had a thing with each other for a time. While Bolin gave up dating within the team by Book One, he had relationships with a few different supporting characters anyway.

After their struggles and obstacles, Asami and Korra become an Official Couple and decide to take a romantic vacation in the Spirit World.

Bolin manages to maintain his relationship with Opal despite the shaky ground they had due to his former affiliation with Kuvira.

While Mako does not end up in a relationship with anyone, he has become a better person, and if/when he meets his true love, he'll make use of the lessons he's learned.

Expository Hairstyle Change: Each member gets one at the start of Book 4. Korra dispenses with the tomboyish pony/pigtails and lops off much of her hair up to neck length to go incognito during her lonesome wanderings, Asami ties it up for a power businesswoman look, and Mako and Bolin tame the pompador look for some more professional hairdos.

Famed In-Story: The entire team. Korra is famous as the newest Avatar. Mako and Bolin both gained some fame by making it to the Pro-Bending finals, and Bolin furthered his celebrity status by landing the starring role in one of the first movers. Asami is famous as the head of Future Industries, though she started out as a Fallen Princess.

Family of Choice: Mako and Bolin lost their parents at a young age, and Asami broke ties with her father because he wasn't the good man she believed him to be, so they have settled on Team Avatar being their true family. While the former two do discover the rest of their extended family, and Asami forgives her father before his death, this team will always remain their primary family.

Freudian Trio: Korra is Id. She's brash, stubborn and tends to charge in without thinking (she tones it down in later seasons but it's still there). Mako is Superego, he's focused, withdrawn, tries to control his emotions and is fairly aloof. Bolin and Asami are Ego, the middle ground who try to balance self-control with a flighty attitude.

Heroes Unlimited: Throughout the series, Team Avatar befriends numerous individuals who become Honorary True Companions who fight alongside them at different points. During Book Four, 'Team Avatar' was disbanded, and the various group members more often operate separately, in concert with other recurring allies, than they do as Team Avatar. However by the Series Finale, Team Avatar reforms, and they fight alongside the many allies they have gained for the final battle.

In Book Three, Korra takes a lot of flak for her decision to leave the Spirit Portals open at the end of Book 2.

By Book Four, that appears to have been subverted since Republic City has accepted the changes overtime along with Asami helping with completing construction to incorporate the changes. Republic City finally recognizes Korra as the hero she is.

The entire team has a bounty placed on their heads by the Earth Queen after they rescue the airbenders the Dai Li had been conscripting.

After Zaheer kills the Earth Queen, that makes the subject null-and-void.

Ultimately deconstructed. None of the above relationships work out by the end of the series and each pair remains platonic partners. The only relationships that do work require work to keep it that way (Bolin and Opal) or build up based on preexisting, strengthening emotions that eventually become romantic (Asami and Korra).

Meaningful Name: Their names reflect some part of their abilities, life, personality, and/or physical looks.

Mixed Ancestry: Mako and Bolin are the children of a Fire Nation mother and Earth Kingdom father, Korra's parents come from either Water Tribe and if "The Promise" and her eye color are any indication, Asami's Fire Nation with some degree of Earth Kingdom heritage.

Quirky Household: Korra moves in with Tenzin's family at the start of the series. Over the next three seasons, Tenzin's siblings join them, as well as Mako and Bolin. Even Asami is welcome in the household without explicit invitation. Bolin lampshades all their archetypes over dinner including crazy kids Jinora and her siblings, brooding teenager Mako, grumpy dad Tenzin, put-upon mom Pema, and wacky uncle Bumi.

Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: In comparison to Aang's Team Avatar, which had a prodigy waterbender taught by a master, arguably the strongest earthbender in the world who was also the world's only metalbender, and a royal firebender, all of whom were respected as powerhouses. By comparison, Korra's team has two reasonably skilled pro-benders (earth and fire) in a world where many of the skills that made the original Team Avatar strong have long since become common knowledge. Though overtime, Mako and Bolin both Took a Level in Badass. Bolin learned Lavabending. Asami is a Fallen Princess, but is still a master martial artist nonetheless. And Korra became the first Avatar with metalbending in her repertoire. Eventually, they've evolved into an ideal that inspires people.

The Team: The core team consists of the old Fire Ferrets team and Asami, but they usually work with an extended team of allies.

The first group had Korra as the hotblooded Lancer to Mako, the cool leader and captain of the Fire Ferrets, and Bolin his happy go lucky younger brother and Big Guy of the team. With Tenzin in the background as Korra's mentor they were also a four element ensemble.

True Companions: They are more than just a team—they treat each other like family, especially since three of them lost theirs.

We Were Your Team: When Korra left and was gone longer than they expected, Team Avatar disbanded. In other words, there just wasn't a Team Avatar without the Avatar. By the time Korra came back, they transitioned back into the hero business (though with a readjustment period) in time to focus on taking down Kuvira, but with more resources and an expanded network of Honorary True Companions.

Avatar Korra

The titular main character and Avatar on a quest to keep the world in balance.

"It's all right. People usually assume that I'm daddy's helpless little girl, but I can handle myself."

Click here for her Book 4 appearance.

Voiced by Seychelle Gabriel

A young non-bender and the pampered daughter of wealthy industrial mogul Hiroshi Sato. Despite being a delicate looking beauty, she can look after herself. She was trained in self-defense since she was little, is an avid fan of pro-bending and an excellent automobile driver.

The Ace: Asami is a beauty, rich, owns her own company, an expert martial artist, a highly skilled engineer, and can drive anything.

Ace Pilot: Her father did invent the things, after all. She conducts a bombing raid against Unalaq's defenses unescorted through heavy anti-aircraft bombardment.

All-Loving Hero: Asami is one of the most kind-hearted individuals in the series. She doesn't have one mean bone in her body and is always willing to help those in need.

Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: While not exactly aloof, she is very graceful and mature and has long black hair. She is also as tall as her father, only a few inches shorter than Mako and was shown to be noticeably taller than Korra.

Amicable Exes: With Mako. They still care about each other despite how messed up their relationship became. In Book 2, they even seem to have gotten past their problems altogether and still make an awesome team when they're helping Korra.

Apologetic Attacker: To her father, after he tried to get her to join the Equalists. Less so in their rematch, where they fought with mecha-tanks and he tried to kill her.

Arms Dealer: In "Peacekeepers", Varrick suggests she sell her company's mecha-tanks to the Southern Water Tribe, which she agrees to as a means of both saving her company and helping her friend.

The Atoner: Since Book 2, Asami has tirelessly worked to restore her family's name and Future Industry's reputation after her father's arrest for his Equalist involvement.

Authority Equals Asskicking: In an indirect way, being both the head of Future Industries and a competent asskicker, though the two aren't really related.

Badass in a Nice Suit: Not the usual tuxedo or pant suit normally associated with this trope but for the majority of Book 4 she's seen in a very classy business woman's suit (as befitting someone who's become a captain of industry) and it doesn't seem to slow her down at all in kicking ass in the few fights she gets into during "Reunion".

Badass in Distress: She has found herself in some sticky situations just like the other members — she was arrested by Tarrlok in "When Extremes Meet" and captured by Equalists along with Mako and Bolin in "Endgame". In "The Stakeout", she and Korra were captured by the Earth Queen's forces, though Asami engineered their escape by the start of the next episode.

Badass Normal: Being the only non-bender of the new Team Avatar, she deserves this title. She was trained in self-defense since she was a child, and can beat up even the toughest Equalists, like the Lieutenant. During a fight with a motorcycle gang, Asami manages to time her jumps perfectly to disable and disarm her opponents. Even after three years out of actions, she's still very capable of kicking butt in Book 4, taking out one of Kuvira's assassins in "Reunion".

Downplayed with Mako. Both of them show their fighting skills before (Mako) and during (Asami) their romance, but rarely fought together. Which doesn't matter in the end, since they broke up by the Book 1 finale and again (offscreen) by the Book 2 finale.

Played straight with Korra. They show their tagteam skills in Turf Wars while exploring their new relationship.

Beauty Equals Goodness: In contrast to the plain looking, barrel-chested Hiroshi, Asami is extremely gorgeous and is a much better person.

Beauty Is Never Tarnished: While her appearance does get disheveled at times, somehow her makeup manages to remain mostly intact and not running all over the place. By the end of the series, it's almost become a Running Gag that no matter how bad the fight and no matter what the state everyone else is in, Asami's hair is always perfect.

Finally averted in Turf Wars as the battle at the end of Part One musses up her hair into a peek-a-boo Unkempt Beauty.

Belated Love Epiphany: In Turf Wars, it's revealed that Asami realized how she felt about Korra during her three-year absence. Asami almost told her so in a letter, but feared she might scare Korra off.

The "Betty" (Spoiled Sweet nonbender) to Korra's "Veronica" (Hot-Blooded Avatar) for Mako's "Archie". The Love Triangle is a...complicated one. Initially, Mako and Asami are a couple, but the former has a small Green-Eyed Epiphany moment when Bolin wants to seriously date Korra, leading to a confrontation between her and Mako resulting in a "Shut Up" Kiss...while he's still in a relationship with Asami. Over time, his feelings for Korra become more obvious, and that plus Asami learning of their kiss from Bolin, results in her and Mako ending their relationship. Come Book 2, Korra and Mako are dating, but are having disagreements with one another due to conflicting loyalties and temperament, leading to their break-up; and later on, he gets back together with Asami...only to tell an amnesiac Korra that she and him are still dating. At the end of Book 2, all three of them decide they are Better as Friends.

The "Betty" (sweet-tempered and thoughtful) to Mako's "Veronica" (hot-headed and argumentative) for Korra's "Archie". There was some Ship Tease between Korra and each of her romantic suitors, but in the end, she chooses to be with Asami.

Asami is genuinely one of the nicest people in the show, but when it comes to conflict and confrontation, she can be very cutthroat. She's capable of taking out Equalists, including the Lieutanant, as well as Northern Water Tribe guards, and was this close to killing her own father in a rage during their battle.

In "Beyond The Wilds", she made it clear to Varrick that she will make him pay if he ever betrays her again, complete with an arm twist and a Death Glare.

She rescues Tenzin from a dozen Equalists in "Turning the Tides". Her very first instance of badassery in "The Aftermath" may count as well, as stun-gunning her father and the Lieutanent created an opportunity for Korra and the others to escape.

In Long Live The Queen, Asami comes up with a clever way for her and Korra to escape the airship.

Big Damn Kiss: She and Korra have *two* in Turf Wars: Part One. The first is just before they decide to leave the Spirit World. The second is after Asami takes a hit and Korra is glad that she turned out to be okay. The second time is in front of their friends, who didn't know they were together yet.

The Big Girl: Shares the role with Bolin, in a way. Her close combat abilities and electric glove are much more effective on Equalist mooks than bending (she took the Lieutenant in three seconds), and she is definitely the most pragmatic in a fight barring Korra. She also drives the car.

Bi the Way: The show's final scene makes it about as clear as possible under Nick's S&P that she and Korra are involved. Not only does the end of the whole series center around the two of them, but they hold hands and look lovingly into each other's eyes as they head off to a private vacation in the Spirit World. The fact that the sky around them is the color of the bisexual pride flag helps, too. Later confirmed by the creators to be their intent.

Bonding Over Missing Parents: Although Mako had fallen for her at a glance, Asami's feelings for Mako are cemented when she her's him talk about how a firebender took his parents from him, a pain Asami knows from the murder of her mother.

Brains and Brawn: Asami is the brains to Korra's Brawn. She's the smarter, more rational of the two.

Break the Cutie: Lots of things go south for her, and through no fault of her own. Her dad turns out to be evil. Her boyfriend ends up dating the Avatar. She loses her wealth and high social status. Her company is going under. And just when it looks like she can pull it back, Varrick tricked her into selling a controlling interest to him. Things look up for her in Book 3, though, as Varrick being exposed allowed her to regain her lost assets and restore the company, and she's worked past her relationship issues in the first two books. In the fourth book, she and her company are in the best shape since her father's outing as an Equalist, and she's decided to give her father a chance at making amends. Her father, however, pulls a Heroic Sacrifice, but she does get together with Korra in the end.

Broken Ace: She is beautiful, rich, smart and one of the characters that gets screwed over the most in the series.

Broken Bird: Her mother was killed by a firebender when was only 6. Her father turned out to be working for the Equalists, and later tried to kill Asami, his only daughter because she refused to join. He was later jailed for her crimes. The company Asami inherited was near bankrupt, and Varrick actually swindled her into selling him the majority of her company as a seemingly benevolent act. In the romantic department? Mako returned a kiss from Korra while still dating Asami, didn't tell her and refused to own up to it when confronted, and then broke up with Asami. Sometime in Book 2, Asami tries to start their relationship again, but when Korra gets amnesia and doesn't remember Mako had broken up with her, he chickens out and doesn't tell Korra. Thus, Mako breaks Asami's heart again. She gets by just fine in Book 3 and after the Time Skip. Then, her father and her begin to reconcile, but he pulls a Heroic Sacrifice to help defeat Kuvira. Asami confesses that if Korra died as well she would not have been able to handle it.

Calling the Old Man Out: In the Book 1 finale, her dad offers her another chance to join the Equalists. She refuses, before saying that his wife would have hated him for what he's become, and that hate has filled his heart.

Charles Atlas Super Power: Officially, Asami has no superpowers (she is not even a chi-blocker), but in several episodes, she demonstrates what can only be called Super Strength, performing feats that would be impossible for men three times her size. For example, see "Long Live the Queen!" where she escapes her metal cell by semi-casually jerking loose a piece of steel railing that's bolted to the wall, and then uses it to pry open an inch-thick floor plate almost as though it were a tin can lid.

Chekhov's Skill: In the start of season 2, Asami is introduced flying a plane. She flies another to carry Mako and Korra when they look for Unalaq's prison ship, and performs a bombing run on Unalaq's spirit portal encampment later in the season.

Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Inverted. Out of all the main characters, Asami has a case of Chronic Getting Backstabbed Disorder, as people she's been close to or have allied with end up betraying her in some shape or form. First, her father betrayed her by secretly joining the Equalists out of revenge, later for him to attempt to kill her. She accepts Varrick as a business partner, but he ends up defrauding her and tricking her into selling him controlling interest. On the relationship side, Mako ends up being insensitive towards her because he had more feelings for Korra during their relationship, which causes her to completely lose trust in him for a time. After Mako breaks up with Korra and rebounds with Asami, Mako lets an amnesic Korra kiss him. While Asami only gave him a Death Glare at the time, his behavior, past and present, is called out on by Wu, Yin and Tu.

Clingy Jealous Girl: Averted. When Mako starts to get uncomfortably close to Korra, she calls him out for it, and makes a point that she still likes Korra.

Clothes Make the Superman: Starting with the later part of season one, she acquires an equalist shock glove that she continues to use over the course of the series.

Combat Pragmatist: As The Team Normal, she can't win in a fair fight against any but the most incompetent benders, so she makes sure not to fight fair. Distractions and sneak attacks are particular favourites, and fight scenes involving her tend to be over in seconds as a result.

The Confidant: The only one of Korra's friends that she's willing to write back to and talk about her Heroic B.S.O.D. while recovering at the South Pole.

The Consigliere: Since Book 3, Asami became Korra's most trusted and reliable advisor.

Consummate Liar: Aside from dealing with a Living Lie Detector, is the only reason why it's not a general trope among the team to be a Bad Liar as she's suckered her father, an Earth Kingdom guard and Tenzin at one point or another.

Cool Car: Being the heiress to a mega-corporation in the automotive industry, she naturally has her pick of fancy roadsters.

Crash-Into Hello: Due to a combination of jaywalking and speeding, Asami crashes into Mako with her moped.

Crazy-Prepared: Understated example, but "Civil Wars Part 2" shows Asami still has her electric glove, implying she always has it on hand. In "Reunion," she pulls one out of her Satomobile's glovebox.

Cry Cute: She's cried in every season except "Changes" and it's always modest.

Cultured Badass: Asami is rich, has a big house, and loves fashion. She can also take down benders without help from bender friends.

Daddy's Girl: She appears to be very close to her father and immediately defends him when he's accused of being an Equalist. When the truth is revealed, she's clearly affected by his betrayal and cries a Single Tear when she takes him down in the Book 1 finale. In the fourth book, she gives him a chance to redeem himself, and it actually goes well… but he's killed in a Heroic Sacrifice while giving them a critical advantage against Kuvira. It rocks her to the core.

Daddy's Little Villain: Defies this trope in all flavors. Hiroshi's secret keeping coupled with being a high ranking Equalist who has the means to ruthlessly eliminate all benders have shattered any idealized image she had of him.

Mako: I need some more hot water. Korra wants more tea. Asami: You're a firebender, boil it yourself.

Despair Event Horizon: Averted. In the Grand Finale, Asami admits to Korra that she didn't believe she could handle losing both Korra and her father on the same day. When it looked like Korra might have died from the poison from Zaheer or from the explosion caused by Kuvira's weapon, Asami appeared to be the most devastated in◊both instances. It is hard to imagine what would have happened to her if Korra did die in those instances.

The Driver: Whenever Team Avatar needs to go somewhere, she's the one in charge of transportation from start to finish. Considering her father invented quite a few of the things she's driving, it makes sense. But for some reason, they also expect her to be able to pilot a flying bison.

Easily Forgiven: By her father, who thus provides a rare villainous example. Despite her betraying him, stun-shocking him and helping the Avatar escape, he still apologizes for having to hurt her by keeping her confined, once the Equalists have captured her, and earnestly wishes for her to rejoin him as soon as she comes to her senses (as he puts it). He eventually comes to realize that she won't be coming back, but only after she has escaped again and spent considerable further time insulting him, attacking him and wrecking his operation.

Her father loved her and truly believed helping Amon was the right action. He could not conceive his child would disagree.

Asami is on the receiving end of this with Varrick, as she trusted him to help her company by entering a partnership. However, he attempted to take it over by bankrupting her company and trying to trick her into handing it over. Well into Book 4 when they have to work together again, she does not trust nor forgive him despite his Heel–Face Turn. Asami holds his past crimes from Book 2 against him, proving just how badly his betrayal wounded her.

Fallen Princess: After attacking her dad and saving the proto form of the Krew, she leaves her mansion to live on Air Temple Island and fight the Equalists with the street rats. Because of her father's actions, in Book 2 onward she and her family become pariahs in the eyes of Republic City and her company is nearly bankrupt because no one will do business with them. However, by Book 3 she and her company's reputation problems have either been resolved or become irrelevant.

Femme Fatale: Has some of the trademarks of being one - rich, sexy, risk-seeking, daughter of a shady corporate boss - in the first episode she appears, but subverts it early and turns out to be one of the nicest characters in the show.

Fiction 500: Asami runs a Mega Corp., Future Industries, and can still direct some money into Team Avatar.

Force and Finesse: Asami falls under Finesse, fighting smarter and not harder. Asami is level-headed, strategic, and relies more on versatility and precision attacks. Korra falls under force, being blunt, hotheaded and takes the straightforward approach to doing things.

Gadgeteer Genius: Asami is a capable engineer, able to repair and construct vehicles with limited resources, such as when she improvised a makeshift sand-sailer using materials from a destroyed airship. She also designed the new wingsuits for the Air Nation. She's also got chops as a civil engineer, having done much work in integrating the spirit wilds throughout Republic City into a reconstructed infrastructure. And the next stage in the Lensman Arms Race of mecha-suits, ones capable of agile VTOL flight, is partly her brainchild.

Genius Bruiser: While she is of The Big Girl variety in terms of being a capable fighter, she is also a great strategist: getting into Unalaq's heavily guarded fortress was her idea.

Girly Bruiser: She's always seen wearing perfect makeup, is extremely fashionable, and loves girly things like shopping. However, thinking that in her case "girly" means "weak" is probably the last mistake you'll ever make.

Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: When first introduced, she seems like a rich-girl stereotype with her fine clothes and hair, but she soon turns out to be an excellent combatant and mechanic.

Green Eyes: She wouldn't look out of place with Fire Nation-style gold/golden brown eyes, but she instead has Green eyes, indicating some Earth Kingdom ancestry.

Has faint shades of this. Since learning about Korra's crush on Mako through the ever-talkative Ikki, Asami appears to at least be growing uncomfortable with the closeness of their relationship.

Becomes even moreso in the next episode when she questions Mako's intensity in finding Korra, discovering that he and Korra kissed, and giving displeased looks whenever she suspects there is something more to the two's relationship.

In "Turning the Tides", she confronts Mako about the kiss and tells him to own up to his actions. He doesn't take this well. In her defense, though, while Asami is annoyed at the Ship Tease between Korra and Mako, she admits that she still likes Korra — it's Mako she has a problem with. She also doesn't allow it to interfere with their mission.

In the Book 1 finale, this is apparently gone the moment Korra and Mako decide to face Amon instead of destroying the aircraft. The last talk between her and Mako all but states that they do care for each other, but they've assumed that after the whole mess the Love Triangle caused, their romantic relationship simply won't work.

Gone by Book 3; in fact, their shared experiences with Mako seems to help Asami and Korra bond.

Hair Decorations: Upon close inspection, Asami is shown to be wearing hairclips.

Hair Flip: After taking off her helmet in "Voice in The Night", and again after the mishap with overloading poor Naga in "When Extremes Meet" (though in a more off-hand manner). This may become a running theme with her.

Headbutting Heroes: Not a fan of Varrick, because his past actions included attempting to take over her company , threatening lives during a peaceful demonstration, and attempted kidnapping on the President. Yet ironically, they're teamed up when they need to plan counter-measures against Kuvira.

Heartbroken Badass: Her mother's dead, her father's an Equalist whom she personally ended up capturing, her boyfriend moved on to Korra, and her company is ruins. Naturally this becomes her subplot in Book 2, though it seems to have been resolved by Book 3.

Hello, Nurse!: Noted several times to be very attractive In-Universe. In contrast Korra is more likely to be noted for her strength and physique rather than her features (even though Korra is far from unattractive herself).

Hero with Bad Publicity: Even though she defeated her father, Hiroshi's status as a high-ranking Equalist has shattered her family's reputation, and ever since that happened, Future Industries has lost a great deal of investors. The reputation problems are gone by Book 3, though; or at least they haven't been brought up. However, she along with the rest of Team Avatar are wanted criminals in the Earth Kingdom. By Book 4, Future Industries has become the go-to contractor for civil engineering projects in Republic City, overcoming the stain in the company's history entirely.

Starts out as Mako's arm-candy and a source of jealousy for Korra, both shows off her combat skills in "The Aftermath". Not to mention her mad driving skills.

She's also one of the smartest people in the setting and at least as smart as Varrick.

That, and for a teenage girl in a Love Triangle, she has shown a far more mature behavior than expected. One would have expected to go Clingy Jealous Girl on Korra for Mako, but she defies the trope and directly goes to Mako instead, even making a point on refusing to hate Korra.

Honest Corporate Executive: Has taken over Future Industries as of Book 2, after her father is imprisoned. She is one of the main heroes, her main goal with her company is to repair its image, and she is also making great strides in rebuilding Republic City after the events in Book 2.

Honey Trap: Uses her looks and flirts a bit with the guard in "Long Live The Queen" so he could chain her to the wall instead of the floor in order for her to free herself.

Hot Scientist: Asami is a tech genius who'd make Tony Stark proud, but she's drop-dead gorgeous and very easy on the eyes.

Humble Hero: With all her wealth and beauty, Asami isn't arrogant about it.

Hurting Hero: Asami spends the whole of Book 1 doing the right thing and fighting the good fight. As a result she ends up losing all ties to her life before. By the end she is clearly heart broken by it all, but is still admirably resolute in her choices. By Book 3 she's worked past it.

I Am Not My Father: Her mother was murdered by benders, but while this drove her father crazy, she understands that not all benders are like that. Like Zuko, she ultimately decides that her father is beyond redemption and needs to be stopped.

Idiot Ball: Despite her own skills, every successful thing she does in Book 2 is due to Mako, Varrick, or Bolin; Asami on her own did very little right on her own. Granted, she was on the verge of bankruptcy, but she was too desperate to even think about whether her allies are truly allies. This is very glaring, even though it has been established that Asami is far from stupid; this is evident especially when Mako tells her that Varrick was betraying them from the start. It's not until Mako is framed by Varrick that she even considers he might have been telling the truth.

I Have No Son: Played straight and inverted. She and her father mutually disown each other. After seeing how far her father would go for revenge, and more, it became clear to her that Hiroshi is no longer the father she loves. Hiroshi's hatred of benders drives him to hate anyone who associates with them, even his own daughter. In the fourth book, she decides to try making amends with her father, and while they do reconcile, he gives up his life to save Asami from Kuvira, leaving her without a father again.

Irony: She starts off unknowingly part of a rivalry for Mako's affections with Korra. At the end of the series, Korra and her eventually become lovers instead.

The Kirk: Also shares this role with Bolin (though Bolin is more naive). To Mako's Spock and Korra's McCoy. Asami will often suggest a decision that isn't too "standstill" or too irrational.

Lady of War: She's a mature and collected young lady and, despite having an air of fragility, a very elegant fighter and talented martial artist, employing many fluid motions and acrobatics in battle to efficiently take down enemies with her electrified glove.

Last Girl Wins: A variation. She's the first girl her age Korra meets, but the last of her potential love interests, and the one she's in a relationship with in the end.

"Korra realized that [Asami] was the person she missed, and she was the person that Korra felt she was most understood by, and that she wanted to reach out to and feel close to even though they were so far away."

Lonely Rich Kid: Downplayed, but despite her being as even nicer than she's rich, she's never seen with actual friend, only employees and businessmen she patrons to, in other words, people reliant on her money as well, which also could explain how quickly she bonds to Mako and the rest of the team.

Mistaken for Terrorist: At first, Korra dislikes the friendly and considerate Asami for reasons of Love Triangle, and possibly also other kinds of jealousy. She is very eager to believe that Asami and her father, being non-benders, are somehow involved with Amon and the Equalists. Asami turns out to be completely innocent though her father doesn't, and is obviously hurt by these accusations from someone she considers a friend.

Asami: Just because we're not benders doesn't mean we support those awful Equalists!

Morality Pet: In a twisted way, Asami still manages to be this to her father. She was pretty sure he'd be reluctant to kill her because she, being his only family left, was the last piece of his conscience. Unfortunately subverted during their final confrontation, because Hiroshi already jumped off the slippery slope, and Asami learned the hard way he was beyond reason. It turns out in Season 4 that she has become one again.

Muggle: So far, the only non-bender on Team Korra. Doesn't stop her from being a badass fighter.

Muggle Best Friend: By Book 3, she has become Korra's closest friend and most trusted confidant and is the only nonbender of Team Avatar.

She (a nonbender) become an Official Couple with Mako (a firebender). They break up by the Book 1 finale and briefly re-start their relationship mid-Book 2, but again break up by the Book 2 finale.

By the end of Book 4 and continuing onto Turf Wars, she becomes an Official Couple with Korra (the Avatar).

Mundane Solution: What do you do when The Avatar, herself can't deal with a city full of spirit vines as Spiritbending only worsens the situation? Answer: just build around them. Future Industries spent the three years of Korra's absence incorporating them into the infrastructure and again post-Book 4 that works better for both humans and spirits.

Nice Girl: Belying her traditionally sinister appearance, Asami is an absolute sweetheart and perhaps the kindest character on the show. In contrast to Mako's snarkiness, Asami genuinely admires and respects Korra, and almost always goes along with Korra's ideas, no matter how crazy they are.

Non-Idle Rich: She doesn't let the fact she is one of the richest teens in town stop her from test driving her father's vehicles, not just the race cars but forklifts too, and living up life. In Book 2, she heads up Future Industries, but somehow still has plenty of time for adventures.

Not So Above It All: Despite her usual serious attitude, Asami does make some attempts at casual humor, especially in "Long Live The Queen" after the sand-sailer falls apart:

Asami: Anyone want to buy a slightly used sand-sailer?

Not So Different: Korra and Asami may have different temperaments and backgrounds, but they have plenty in common as well. They're both prodigies (Korra with her bending, Asami with her technological skill), they both have huge responsibilities (one's the Avatar, the other the heir to a technological juggernaut), they both know what it's like to deal with having to start from the bottom again (Korra with her physical condition, Asami with rebuilding Sato Industries), both are big fan of sports (and fans of the Fire Ferrets even before meeting Bolin and Mako), love speed (Asami in her cars, Korra running with Naga), both are fast learners (with the exception of airbending, Korra learns pretty fast any bending form, meanwhile Asami can pilot and drive anything) and get pretty angry when the people they love hide things from them. They are also VERY protective of their loved ones and each other.

Number Two: To Korra, becoming her go-to girl and nominal second-in-command, especially in Book 3, and even assumes leadership when Korra has to meditate into the spirit world.

She seems to be in one with Mako throughout Book 1, but she turns out to be a Romantic False Lead and he starts dating Korra instead. They do have another brief romantic encounter with a few dates in Book 2 after he and Korra break up, but it doesn't go anywhere.

In the series finale, it turns out the show's real OC is her and Korra.

Ojou: She's a commoner, but as her dad is the richest man in Republic City, she's still treated like a princess. After her dad was outed as an Equalist however, she lost all that. After recuperating the family company, she got it back, and it took years to recover.

Old Flame: She and Mako have but a brief romantic encounter in "The Guide," but events (namely Mako going to prison until he was proven innocent, and then Korra forgetting that he broke up with her) spoil that. Regardless, this encounter never really went anywhere though he's still called out on his constantdenial over dating her in general.

One Head Taller: Averted between her and Mako, she's as tall as he is. Played straight between her and Korra though.

Out of Focus: Poor Asami tends to get this the most out of all of the main characters, not only does she tend to be the character that disappears the most between episodes, she also tends to have the least number of sub plots per season.

After having two massive subplots in the First Book (with her father revealed to be an Equalist and the increasing friction between her and Mako over Korra) Book Two showed her with one main subplot (trying to rebuilt Future Industries after the events of Book 1) and a retread of the Love Triangle of the previous season.

Turf Wars continues this as aside from her relationship with Korra, her company's rebuilding the city once again and she has a past history with Wonyong Keum that dates back to him breaking a deal with her father that pisses her off even more than Varrick.

Pair the Suitors: Her romantic rivalry with Korra over Mako eventually ends with Korra and Asami becoming a couple in the show's finale.

The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Zigzagged. Asami may be head of a huge company, but she's hardly shown actually running the business. However, trying to save her company from bankruptcy was a plot point in some episodes, showing she's serious about her position. Regardless, most of her time was spent going on adventures with the Avatar, even if she does use Future Industries' resources for Team Avatar's benefit.

As the series progresses, Asami loses or sacrifices everything she has. Her home, her wealth, her high social status, her father, and her boyfriend. Despite having every reason to quit and little to gain by going on she never stops fighting.

Her own goal from the beginning is to be her own person rather than just "Sato Jr", and would go as far as to prove not only that she is not Daddy's helpless girl, but also that she's not him and can be a better person than him.

Power Fist: Uses an Equalist stun glove as a primary weapon, and has created her own slimmed-down version by book 4.

Pride: Like father, like Daughter, but downplayed for her. Asami takes great pride in her family's achievements, especially that of her father and lived her life knowing that. However, she's hit hard when she sees what her father became, knowing everything she thought about her father, was a lie.

Pyrrhic Victory: Victory against her father and the Equalists came at great cost for her. She lost her family, her wealth, and worst of all, she lives with the fact that her father's actions have brought shame and disgrace to her family's honor and reputation. At no point in Book 2 do any of these losses seem recoverable, though by Book 3 she appears to have gotten at least the wealth back. By Book 4, Ms. Sato and Future Industries have been heavily involved in reconstruction after the Unavaatu attack, and President Raiko is seen at a press event standing next to her, so it's safe to say her reputation has recovered from being just the daughter of a jailed malcontent.

Redemption Rejection: Inverted. Rather, she is softly given the offer by her father to rejoin him and be a family with her once again, but of course, she doesn't buy it and refuses to be a part of his evil.

Renaissance Man: Gender Inverted. An extremely skilled Martial Artist, a Badass Driver, capable of using anything with the ability to steer, and a capable Engineer. She is a Ace Pilot capable of pulling off bombing and strafing runs on her own. In the three year timeskip she worked on the infrastructure of Republic City, building roads and parks, and designed the new airbender outfits. As a meme pointed out and counting all the individual fields of engineering, she's even more this trope than Suyindespite being less than half her age.

Riches to Rags: She and her company lost a lot of money once Hiroshi is revealed as an Equalist and later thrown in jail. Luckily, Varrick's schemes inject a lot of cash into her company, and by book 4 her company is now the go-to contractor for Republic City's civil engineering projects.

Romantic False Lead: To Mako. Despite a few dates in Book 2, it ultimately stays ended by Book 3.

Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: Develops this with Korra during Book 3 and spends a majority of her screentime being by Korra's side. This eventually leads to Asami developing true romantic feelings for Korra and the two of them becoming an Official Couple at the end of the series.

Satellite Character: During Book 2. She's also quite noticeably the only member of the Krew to not get a spotlight on her development over the series during the Clip Show "Remembrances," though you can definitely make a good argument that this is only because Korra, Mako, and Bolin all simply caught up to where she was all along.

Gender Inverted. Asami, a woman, falls in love with Korra, another woman. The person who has constantly shown Asami she is brave, caring, and selfless individual.

Sins of Our Fathers: Asami ended up becoming a pariah in the eyes of the public due the Sato name being tarnished by her father's involvement with Amon. After getting a contract with the United Republic Government, that phase eventually ended. For most of the series, she did work darn hard to distance herself from her father. Despite cleansing her family name's bad reputation, she's still hurt and bitter towards her father for putting her in that position.

Sixth Ranger Traitor: She was obviously built up to be this, and eventually joined her father for about two seconds before she Defied it with a passion, shocking her own father and saving the group.

Skirt over Slacks: Her second outfit — A short, purple skirt with red leggings underneath.

The Smart Girl: She has developed a keen eye on technology workmanship, being able to discern high-quality products from subpar ones, as evidenced when she criticized Cabbage Corp's airships for utilizing lighter materials, possibly sacrificing passenger safety. Asami is a practical thinker and a capable engineer, able to repair and construct vehicles with limited resources, such as when she improvised a makeshift sand-sailer using materials from a destroyed airship.

Spoiled: Daughter and only child of the richest man in the City, is a regular at at least one posh restaraunt, has wait staff at her father's mansion, gets to race cars on the company test track, and can pull the Daddy's Girl act on her father to get him to do/approve of things (even after she's done it).

Sweet: She offered Mako a more appropriate outfit during their date, she convinced her father to sponsor the Fire Ferrets, and she offered Mako and Bolin lodging after the Arena gets trashed from the Equalist attack. Subverted when she's involved in a competition or conflict: She's downright cutthroat in such situations. She (proverbially) sucker-punched her own father! She is definitely a girl with strong morals (unlike her father), if a bit naive at times, but she is still a Sato.

Static Character: Much like Toph in the first series Asami's overall personality doesn't change much over the course of the show (best shown in the episode "Remembrances" where she is the only member of Team Avatar to not get a moment to reflect on their Character Development over time). And, much like Toph from the original series, this isn't a bad thing since she's such a well Rounded Character already that she doesn't really need much development.

Static Stun Gun: She uses an Equalist taser glove in combat, which works great against benders and non-benders alike.

Statuesque Stunner: Already pretty tall in Books 1-3, by Book 4 she is the same height as Mako when in heels. This makes her one of the tallest women in either series - the tallest apart from P'Li and Avatar Kyoshi, making her the tallest non-bender woman.

Stepford Smiler: At the start of Book 2, she had signs of this over the future of her company. In front of her employees, she is confident and smiling. When she walks away alone, her true face shows her worry over the matter.

The Strategist: The chase scene in "When Extremes Meet" shows her making a lot of great tactics and calling them out to the benders, such as making ramps, being able to take advantage of the enemy's smoke cloud to gain a sneak attack, and attacking Equalists during moments of supposed advantage.

Strong Family Resemblance: A picture in episode 10 makes it clear Asami received her looks from her mother. Asami would probably look identical to her without makeup.

Strong Girl, Smart Guy: A rare same-sex version of the trope with Korra. Asami is a practical thinker and a capable Wrench Wench, able to repair and construct vehicles with limited resources. Korra is a strong Boisterous Bruiser who knows pretty much nothing but fighting.

Sunk Cost Fallacy: She lost and sacrificed so much to do the right thing, and hopes to get the best result out of it. She didn't even have the excuse of turning back before Varrick could buy controlling interest of Future Industries.

The Team Benefactor: While she's no slouch in a fight, Asami's wealth and technical expertise allows her to supply the team with cars, airships, and other advanced machines.

This Is Unforgivable!: Between Asami and her father, when they choose different sides in the Equalist revolution. Subverted, in that they do reconcile eventually, but it takes years of in-universe time, and in the heat of the moment they very much appear to mean the words as they speak them.

At first, Mr. Sato is reconciliatory, hoping that she will return to him when she sees the new, more just world the Equalists are building. However, Asami rejects him completely for siding with someone like Amon and trying to destroy her friends' bending.

How can we be a family after everything you've done? Mom would hate you for what you've become!

Later, when Asami is destroying their airplanes while the Equalists are fighting for their lives against the United Forces, he, too, finally accepts that she isn't coming back.

Throw the Dog a Bone: After being put through the wringer in Books 1 and 2, Book 3 shows Asami having recovered some of her losses and emotionally over others. There are no subplots that involve her suffering, and "Long Live The Queen" even lets her show off by being the one to come up with plans to save the day. Season 4 also cuts her some slack; it sees her finally make up with her father before hisHeroic Sacrifice, and ends with her dating Korra.

Took a Level in Badass: Not in a physical sense (since as a normal person physically she can't really get any stronger then she already is) but as an engineer and driver she gets much better over time. While she started out as the Chick/Big Guy of the team there was never any indication in Book 1 she had any real skills as an engineer or a pilot beyond what we saw. Come the next 3 books she shows the ability to drive any vehicle (including Oogi) becomes the Krew's engineering Smart Gal (able to MacGyver a sand sailor out of downed airship parts and help create the Hummingbird suits that were instrumental in Kuvira's defeat), rescues her company from the brink of collapse and becomes a Captain of Industry in Republic City for helping to fix its damaged infrastructure. Oh and she did all this over the course of three years.

Tragic Keepsake: Future Industries is all she has from her family, even if she's found a family with Team Avatar. Fortunately, she makes it thrive.

Tranquil Fury: In "Turning The Tides" - she took down several Equalist fighters with stoicisim, but the shots before she crashed the Korramobile in a mecha and when she tased an Equalist handling Tenzin clearly exhibited her anger from her father and Mako.

Trauma Conga Line: Not quite as bad as Korra, but many of Asami's plots involve her going through some kind of hardship. She lost her mother to firebenders at a young age, learned that her father was working for Equalists, and was forced to attack him and abandon him and the affluent life she'd known since she was born. Her boyfriend, while dating her, flirted with the Avatar, and dumped her when she called him out for stringing her along. Her father tried to kill her when he realized she wouldn't support the Equalists.She struggled to restore the name of her father's (who was in jail) company on her own, and the person she trusted to help her bring Future Industries back double-crossed her and stole her inventory. She watched her close friend whom she'd probably fallen in love with at that point Korra nearly die by the Red Lotus's hand, and subsequently become wheelchair-bound and catatonic for weeks, and has to wait three years with hardly any sign of where Korra was or how she was doing. During the battle with Kuvira's Colossus, she witnessed her father, whom she'd just found it in her to forgive, perform a Heroic Sacrifice to help destroy the Colossus, and even sees him crushed to death. She admits to Korra that losing both her and her father would have sent her over the edge.

Unbroken Vigil: Twice. She voluntarily watched over Korra's unconscious body while meditating into the spirit world in "The Ultimatum" and like Mako, took care of her for two weeks while Korra was poisoned.

Universal Driver's License: Roadsters, mopeds, racecars, Mecha-tanks, motorboats, aeroplanes, more than one model of airship... heck, even Tenzin's sky bison Oogie lets her take the reins.

Unkempt Beauty: At the end of Part 1 of Turf Wars, the battle finally/actually tussled up her hair into a peek-a-boo-style '80s Hair.

Unwitting Pawn: Thoroughly played by Varrick, which costs her the controlling interest to Future Industries. Though in her defense, Varrick is playing everyone like fiddles.

A rich girl who has her eyes set on Street Urchin Mako. Fitting with the trope, Daddy does not approve, (but mostly because he's a bender) although he pretends to.

Played with, after becoming an Official Couple with Korra. Asami is the head of Future Industries, but Korra is the Avatar (making her on the same level as a Queen/King or more accurately, OUTSIDE the social structure).

Vocal Evolution: Very subtle, but her voice sounds much deeper and more mature in Book 4.

Weak, but Skilled: By virtue of being a non-bender. Her other team members are a Physical God, a talented Firebender, and a powerful Earthbender. Asami finds her niche in the group with her driving skills, awesome martial arts ability, strategic thinking, vast material wealth, and ability to utilize the electric glove she took from the Equalists.

Wise Beyond Her Years: See Hidden Depths. She is surprisingly mature about handling a Love Triangle than most teenagers and is even taking up the task of running a business. Deep down inside though, she is still an insecure, scared little girl with the trauma of losing her family.

Her Death Glare at him for ditching her again for Korra and simultaneously lying to Korra about it is a silent one.

Working with the Ex: With Mako as of the Book 1 finale after he realizes his feelings for Korra. They briefly get back together during Book 2 after his break up with Korra, but after Mako refuses to tell an amnesiac Korra of their break up, his and Asami's romance ends for good. Come Book 3, they are now friends, but he is still awkward around her because of their past history. He gets over it.

Wrench Wench: In "Long Live the Queen", she repairs a crashed airship. When the airship crashes a second time and is damaged beyond repair, she assembles a sand skimmer out of its wreckage.

You Can't Go Home Again: From mid Book 1 to the end because her father is an Equalist and she must live on Air Temple Island. Despite regaining her fortunes, she still lives there.

Bolin

"Maybe I just can't turn my back on people when they're down!"

Click here for his Book 4 appearance

Voiced by P.J. Byrne

The younger of two brothers from a mixed-ethnicity union. Part of a pro-bending team along with Korra and his older brother Mako. Being younger, Bolin is a lot more playful and relaxed than his brother, and just wants a good time. He wants to take more initiative and get more respect, but his immaturity and naturally laid-back nature makes this difficult.

The Ace: This trope is initially inverted for Bolin since while a skilled bender in his own right he was often Over Shadowed By Awesome when compared to everyone else in the Krew. This all changed after he mastered Lavabending and suddenly became second to Korra in terms of destructive power. Hell by the end of the series on could argue that he is now, as an earthbender, equal to Toph in terms of raw power.

Acquired Situational Narcissism: After Varrick makes him a mover star, Bolin lets it go to his head, though he gets better after Varrick is exposed as a traitor.

All-Loving Hero: Bolin is quick to forgive people who've done him wrong (i.e. Varrick). He can't bare to see another living thing, human or animal, be hurt. Resulting in his strong desire to do anything in his power to help.

All There in the Manual: His rank in Kuvira's army is Corporal according to the concept art but so far hasn't been stated on screen.

He also starts a relationship Opal, who won't let him off easy when he makes a huge mistake. Before that, when Bolin approached her with his usual Casanova Wannabe routine, he compliments her airbending skills.

Annoying Younger Sibling: Not intentionally, but Bolin's naive and blunt nature does cause some problems for his friends.

The Atoner: During the second half of Book 4 once he learns the truth about Kuvira's goals and abandons her army. He's painfully aware of how badly he misjudged her and how many people he's hurt and alienated in the process, including his girlfriend Opal, and he goes to extreme lengths to help derail Kuvira's plans and regain Opal's trust.

Audience Surrogate: He starts taking on the role in Book 2, with his prodding Mako to clean up his love life already, and goes even more into it in Book 3 with his reactions to Varrick and the Red Lotus.

Bad Powers, Good People: He learns lavabending, a strong contender for 'scariest, most devastating bending technique in the show'. It makes him no less goofy, fun-loving, or kind-hearted. Becomes even more pronounced after the Time Skip, where even though he is part of Kuvira's Earth Empire, he is the Token Good Teammate, joined so he could help the helpless and expresses reservations when Kuvira starts acting aggressive, all despite having the most destructive power out of all the group.

Bait-and-Switch: In Book 3, he reveals that he always wanted to learn metalbending but years of practice failed to produce any results. After several points where it seems like metalbending would be an important skill for him to finally pick up in a pinch, he instead learns lavabending.

Bash Brothers: With Mako. It's more common in Book 3, since the two are usually split up in the previous seasons.

Downplayed with Eska. They fought together after briefly rekindling their relationship, but both decide to amicable break-up.

Downplayed again with Opal. While they remain a couple by the series finale and proven their skill in their respective bending (even becoming more stronger by the Time Skip), they hardly fight beside one another.

Big Brother Instinct: He gets very excited about having a little brother figure when Kai joins the group, and keeps sticking up for him no matter how clear it gets that the kid is up to no good.

Big Eater: He's the likeliest of the team to be munching on some snack (grapes, dumplings, popcorn, entire game hens, and so on) or another in any given random scene. Not long after the brothers' introduction, he's revealed to have taken out a loan against their winnings to do some impromptu grocery shopping. When given a look of chagrin by his brother, Bolin simply quips:

The Big Guy: Thematically. As the avatar, Korra has more raw power, but Bolin is still the most likely to use blunt force in a fight. Book 3 plays up his precise earthbending skills, however. And then there's his lavabending.

Big Ol' Eyebrows: They come from his father's side of the family, who all share them.

Bolin explains to his brother Mako why he likes Avatar Korra: "Korra and I are perfect for each other. She's strong, I'm strong. She's fun, I'm fun. She's beautiful...I'm gorgeous!" Though unfortunately for Bolin, Korra doesn't feel the same way. While she does care very much about him as a friend, her affections lie firmly with Mako, who is Not So Different from Korra.

It pays off better in Season 3 when Bolin meets Opal, Lin Beifong's niece, who's just as Adorkable and kind hearted as he is.

A Boy and His X: A Boy and His Fire Ferret. This is the dynamic between him and Pabu.

Breakout Character: Got little screentime or story in season one. Fast forward to season 4, where he's more important to the story than the other Krew aside from Korra, and received the same or more screentime as her.

Broken Ace: Bolin may not have had it as hard as Korra, but he's been through his own share of troubles. Bolin lost his parents to a firebending mugger (it's unknown if he was there with Mako), but it forced him to fend for himself, along with his brother, on the streets. As he grew up, Bolin gained a lot of insecurities whenever he compared himself to Mako-noted to be better at receiving more attention from the girls and being a better bender. He also thought of himself of a lesser earthbender because he could never metalbend. In the love department, Bolin always wanted to find that one girl, but never had much luck (e.g., Korra,Eska, and Ginger.) He does finally find his true love in Opal, but their relationship is strained because of his alliance with Kuvira. Bolin also suffers from his naive nature when he thinks someone is trying to help, but are just using him for their own selfish gain (e.g., Shady Slim, Varrick, and Kuvira) and have caused to put strain on his relationships with the people closest to him (e.g., Mako, Opal, etc.) It would be understandable if his idealism was shaken after moments like that.

Casanova Wannabe: Anytime he tries to get girls onscreen, it never ends well with him. He takes an interest in Korra in Book 1, but it was one-sided and then he saw Korra and Mako kiss. In Book 2, he tries to impress Eska, Korra's cousin, but her domineering attitude quickly alienated him. Ginger, the woman who plays his girlfriend on the big-screen, isn't too fond of him, either, though she warmed up after he saved the president. In Book 3, he initially tries to approach Opal Beifong in this fashion, but abandons it after she convinces him to be himself. In general, Bolin seems to do a lot better when he's not making an effort.

Character Development: It takes a while to kick in and is offscreen, but it does happen. Come Book 4, Bolin is less of the goofball we knew in the first three books. Now, he's more calm, mature, and has found his calling.

One big example of his growth is his relationship with Varrick. In Book 2, Bolin blindly followed and admired Varrick, despite the man's shadiness. However, in Book 4, while Bolin still listens to Varrick, it's only when the older man has a point or actually knows what he's doing, and is now able to call out Varrick for his crazy or selfish stunts.

Bolin also truly becomes an individual in Book 4, and not just one half of the Bending Brothers. Besides making his own decisions based on what he believes is right, his clothing also becomes very distinct from Mako's, sporting a brown leather jacket opposite Mako's plain bodyguard uniform, after both brothers having very similar costumes for the past three seasons.

In the romantic department, Bolin had a pretty narrow view on how to approach a girl he was interested in (e.g., he would act as the Casanova Wannabe). However, after he meets Opal, who made it clear she didn't like said approach, he quickly drops the act. They becomes an Official Couple in Book 4; they were having relationship troubles during the Book because of his involvement with Kuvira, he tells her he knows he can't win her forgiveness with romantic gestures, but he won't stop trying because he loves her.

Characterization Marches On: One of the original aspects of Bolin's character was that he was a successful ladies' man. Aside from Mako mentioning that Bolin often brings fangirls into the gym (and one of them yelling Bolin's name during a match) in their debut episode, this has been nowhere on display for most of the series, with most of his attempts at romance (be it with Korra, Eska, Ginger or Opal) being rather lame and giving the vibe of someone with little experience.

The Charmer: Said to always have a lady on his arm, as well as a habit of bringing "crazy fangirls" to the Fire Ferret's room before matches. We get to see Bolin in his natural environment in Book 2 where he lives up to the trope.

Those Nuktuk movers actually paid off when he had to get Eska to let him and Mako go and feigned an Anguished Declaration of Love about how he left her at the altar because he was afraid of his feelings, which resulted in her softening just enough to free them. Although he might not have been completely acting.

The precision Earthbending Bolin learned as a pro-bender came in handy for neutralizing P'Li's combustion bending, as well as allowing him to easily control a Deadly Disc made of lava with his lavabending.

Chick Magnet: Before a pro-bending match, one of said fans can be heard in the audience screaming "I love you, Bolin!" It was also mentioned that Korra wasn't the first girl he took backstage.

Chivalrous Pervert: Bolin really loves attention from the ladies, but deep down he wants just one girl to fall in love with.

The Corruptible: Though he didn't realize at first, thanks to Varrick's "help" his morals degraded quite a bit. He was shown to care more about hot girls and his mover star career than helping his brother. He at least learned his lesson, though, and in Book 3 rejected Varrick's love advice out of hand despite being otherwise friendly with him. It happens again in Book 4 with Kuvira, who manages to talk him into helping her even after she's taken taken over the Earth Kingdom and reformed it as the Earth Empire.

Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Was pegged right away as inheriting the "comic relief" role from Last Airbender's Sokka, and he's often the first character to take a fall or be comedically-injured. But the second pro-bending match in "The Spirit of Competition" demonstrates that Bolin can be just as badass as his teammates. Throughout the second and third seasons, Bolin shows many times that while he may be a complete goof, he is still a champion pro-bender and is just as competent in a fight as his brother. This is exemplified toward the end of season two when he and Mako put up a reasonably good fight against Unalaq and his children, who are by all accounts masters of bending. Later, in season three, he and Mako take a squad of Dai Lee agents to the cleaners. Bear in mind that these are benders who gave Aang and company a hard time (albeit in greater numbers), and who don't seem to have slacked off on their standards in the interim.

The Cuckoolander Was Right: In Book 3, Bolin tries to convince Mako to help the rest of the team find the new airbenders. He makes up a sob story about about how their grandmother (who they never met) could be in Ba Sing Se, and how sad she would be if Mako doesn't come. And then, in Ba Sing Se, Mako and Bolin stumble upon their long-lost relatives...including their grandmother. On the other hand, Bolin was always aware that Ba Sing Se was their father's birthplace, but he wasn't sure his family was still around and kicking.

Cuddle Bug: Bolin is the most "hugsy" of the group, sometime crossing over into being The Glomp.

The Cutie: Exhibits some shades of this. The fandom definitely sees him this way though.

Dark and Troubled Past: Mako didn't mention Bolin being present at the time of their parents' murder, and he has been sheltered by his brother, but it doesn't negate how hard it must have been for Bolin as well.

Determinator: To a degree. Continues to fight despite his injured shoulder, as noticed by Shiro Shinobi.

Die or Fly: As he, Mako, Asami, and Tenzin were trying to escape from the Northern Air Temple, they were all trapped in a tunnel while molten lava was closing in on them. Bolin then figures out lavabending at the last second and saves their lives.

Dogged Nice Guy: A bit towards Korra. He's got some interest in her, in that he looks forward to her coming to practices and makes a rather romantic gesture of giving her a rose and a small cake after she and Mako saved him from Amon, but Korra doesn't display much interest back. Granted, this wasn't the best time since she was facing major confidence issues because of Amon. Later, he takes Korra out on a date, who mostly agrees to cheer herself up after being rejected by Mako, about two seconds before. After the date, Bolin brings her a bouquet of flowers only to be crushed by the sight of Korra kissing Mako.

Easily Forgiven: Korra and Mako welcome him back with open arms after turning on Kuvira. After all, his closest friend and brother will always forgive him. This is averted with Opal, who is still angry with him and says that saving her family is the best way to redeem himself.

Fatal Flaw: His trusting nature to others who seem like they like actually care for him gets him into serious moral troubles.

Foil: Bolin is the silly, cheerful, immature younger brother who is never afraid to cry, fanboy, or express whatever he's feeling; Mako is the serious, cynical, aloof older brother who has problems expressing his true feelings (i.e. the whole Love Triangle fiasco could've been avoided if he was more truthful). Mako ends up a Celibate Hero, while Bolin becomes an Official Couple with Opal.

The Fool: Although he does have bending and is far from incompetent, he's by far the most lackadaisical of the core heroes of Team Avatar, He certainly fits the characteristic of living on the edge, all the while having a cheerful (and seemingly naive) attitude, no matter how bad the situation gets.

Friend to All Living Things: Bolin immediately rescued Pabu when he was about to fed to a carnivore. He also gets momentarily distracted in Book 3, when Meelo mentions baby Sky Bison.

The Glomp: Due to his overly-strong emotions, Bolin can cross into this.

Good Is Not Soft: Despite the ample notes of his kind and jovial behavior, Bolin is a very capable earthbender who can handle himself in many fights.

Green-Eyed Monster: A mild example. When he sees the extravagant gift basket Tarrlok sent her, he jumps at the chance to put the man who's been bothering Korra in his place. After Korra explains that the gifts are non-romantic, he seems relieved.

Handsome Lech: He's a skirt chaser, but he's implied to have not gotten so many Fangirls. Some girls have managed to fall for him with varying success and results, such as Eska, Ginger, Opal, etc.

The Heart: Of the four members of Team Korra, he has the biggest heart and most able at forgiving them when they screw-up. He doesn't even begrudge his brother or Korra after the day after he saw them kiss.

Heel Realization: While with Kuvira, Bolin learns the hard way that his own misjudgment ended up hurting many people, including those close to him.

Henpecked Husband: A boyfriend variant with Eska, though Eska wanted to make him this. In "Civil Wars, Part 1" he was first seen pulling Eska and Densa in a cart. Later when Eska wants to wed him and gives him a necklace, Korra notes that this tradition is usually performed by the other gender.

Heroes Want Redheads: Bolin started chasing after Ginger (who dyes her head red) when he became a Mover star. However, it was mostly out of physical attraction. By Book 3, he got over her.

Heroic Self-Deprecation: The reason behind Bolin's reluctance to train in metalbending is because he didn't believe that he was special enough to pick it up. He ends up mastering an even rarer form of earthbending, lavabending, instead.

Heterosexual Life-Partners: A sibling example, with Mako. They've always had each other backs and often give each other advice, be it with their bending or with the ladies.

Hidden Depths: Bolin has a strong business sense, as has been noted by both Asami and Varrick, and is a talented and charismatic public speaker.

Honest Advisor: This is how Bolin impresses Varrick, by innocently pointing out the industrialist has failed to levitate himself with his own mind. All of Varrick's hangers-on were indulging his delusion.

Hopeless Suitor: Bolin doesn't realize how badly Korra's crushing on his brother when he makes his own overtures.

Self-admitted in Book 2, as he failed to see how trying to court the female half of the Creepy Twins would go horribly wrong.

He stands by Varrick much longer than anyone else.

In Book 3, he keeps vouching for Kai even before Kai went through Character Development and he was planning on completely screwing over him and Mako (and even after he did screw them over repeatedly).

And again in Book 4, where he can't see that Kuvira's heading down an obviously dark path even though he's working for her. At least in this case, she's also very good at manipulating him.

Hypocritical Humor: "Some people just don't have respect for other people's property. Now let's steal this airship!"

The Idealist: Bolin is an idealist, always motivated by a strong desire to help people and make their lives better. When the Earth Kingdom fell into chaos, he joined Kuvira and her army, believing she wanted to help others as much as he did. As a result, his idealism and naiveté prevented him from second guessing the extreme lengths Kuvira would go to in order to achieve their goals, until they were pointed out to him.

Idiot Hero: Bolin is far from stupid, but his naivete and gullible nature has got him into trouble.

Improbable Aiming Skills: He hits P'Li in the center of her forehead with a peddle, in the middle of the night, from behind a barricade.

In Love with Love: Bolin truly wants a real relationship, but has a lot of trouble finding one: Korra wasn't interested, Eska was abusive, and Ginger had to spell it out to him that they were only a couple in the movers.

Despite his status as The Charmer his interest in Korra is both strong and genuine as he describes her to Mako as his dream girl. And his dismay at seeing Korra and Mako kissing is strong enough to reduce the usually cheerful young man to an emotional wreck.

In Book 2, he starts pursuing a romance with Eska. He quicklyregrets it. He breaks up with her by siding with Korra in a war against her father and running away on a really fast ship. However, he later admits that she simply came on too strong and he does care for her.

In Book 3, he is smitten by Opal Beifong, a recently empowered airbender and granddaughter of Toph Beifong. This relationship has better chances than the previous two since it's neither one-sided nor highly dysfunctional, and is still open by the end of the season. As of Book 4 and the series finale, Bolin is a Official Couple with Opal.

Let's Get Dangerous!: Exactly what it says on the tin. He may be laidback, but when it's time to bend, it's serious business.

Leitmotif: A short bit of fanfare plays whenever he does (or is about to do) something heroic, like bombing the South Pole in "Harmonic Convergence", stunning P'Li in "The Terror Within", attempting to metalbend in "Long Live the Queen", discovering his ability to lavabend in "Enter the Void", battling Ghazan in "Venom of the Red Lotus", fighting the Earth Empire mechas in "Enemy at the Gates" and "Reunion", and attacking Kuvira's colossus in "Day of the Colossus".

Lightning Bruiser: Pro-bending emphasizes both power and speed. When giving pointers to Korra, he criticizes her conventional style as being powerful but leaving her open to attack, then demonstrates his own boxing-like style which allows him to attack quickly without sacrificing defense.

Living Emotional Crutch: To Mako, who explicitly stated to Korra in Book 1 that he wouldn't know what to do if something ever happened to his little brother.

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: Bolin has had a rough time with love from initially misreading Korra's friendship with him as romantic interest, to being emotionally abused by Eska, and then ends up planting an improv and unwanted Forceful Kiss on Ginger while acting out a scene in a film. It may just be his instinct to chase so many girls or Bolin has become desperate to get into any sort of relationship. It's so bad that when Opal is obviously interested in him, he has to have it spelled out for him by Mako. And even then, he starts out approaching her as a Casanova Wannabe, turning her off until she tells him to just be himself.

Lovable Jock: He is a good hearted young man who cares about his teammates but will call them out when they aren't pulling their weight and screwing up the chances to win.

His Establishing Character Moment no less. He starts hitting on Korra the moment he meets her, comes to her aid when she's about to be tossed out of the building by his landlord, and tells Mako that he's "got a good feeling about this one". In The Spirit of Competition he openly tells Korra he's liked her since he first met her.

In Book 2, he becomes interested in Eska from the moment he sees her, although he had trouble finding the difference between her and her twin brother.

Was on the receiving end of this from Opal in Book 3, but by this point he's so jaded by failed relationships that it takes Mako spelling it out for him to catch on.

Love Confession: Gives one to Opal in Book 4 after she chews him out for working for Kuvira, despite her warnings:

"All right, listen. Before you go, I just want to tell you that I understand how you feel. I know there is nothing I could do or no big gesture that could make up for all my mistakes, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop trying to win you back because ... I love you."

He finds out Korra likes Mako the hard way. Seeing Korra and Mako kissing reduces him to an emotional wreck.

Then there is of course Eska, who was emotionally abusive towards him.

Opal ends up falling here in season 4. Bolin siding with Kuvira, someone Opal detests for betraying her mother and being a cruel dictator, puts a severe strain on their relationship. It eventually all but breaks and even after Bolin leaves Kuvira's army, it takes a while for her to forgive him.

Lust Object: He is a G-rated version of this trope to Eska, who seems to only seek him to possess him.

Magma Man: When trying to outrun a lava flow in "Enter the Void", he discovers the ability to lavabend.

Manchild: While not exactly a man just yet (he's sixteen), he fits the bill. Due to Mako's nurture, Bolin is childish, trusts easily, wears his heart on his sleeve, and has been relying on someone else almost his entire life. But he's beginning to reach for independence from his brother. According to his voice actor, part of Bolin's character arc is him maturing and learning that not everything is as he thought it was.

My Master, Right or Wrong: Played with. Bolin clearly has some misgivings about Kuvira's decision to seize control of the Earth Kingdom/Empire, but he still sticks with her, at least for now. After learning the inner workings of her regime and realizing her true nature, he defects from her.

Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: The biggest flaw Bolin has is his big mouth. If Bolin hadn't told his brother that he, Asami, Varrick and Korra were planning to go to General Iroh, the President would've been none the wiser. Once Korra was sold out to the President, it caused Korra and Mako to break up.

Not What I Signed On For: Bolin wanted joined Kuvira because he wanted to do what was right, and he let himself believe that they were making lives better, but they weren't. Bolin found out that Kuvira has people placed in slave camps after they pledge their loyalty to her.

Obliviously Evil: In season 4, he has no idea what Kuvira is really doing and just thinks she's helping people. He has no idea to the inner workings of her empire, including borderline slavery and "reeducation centers" which he thought were simply trade schools.

Out of Focus: Once book 1's pro-bending plot ends, Bolin has very little personal stake in the plot, and his mover plot in book 2 is ultimately less important than Mako's investigation of Varrick.

Pitbull Dates Puppy: With Eska in Book 2. Bolin is nice, friendly guy and a bit of a pushover. Eska, on the other hand, is an incredibly bossy and possessive Royal Brat who treats Bolin like a slave in the short time they go "dating" and even tries to force him to marry her before he ditches her.

Plucky Comic Relief: Gets most of the jokes, yet still remains a likable and complex character. Also helps he is friends with Varrick, another source of comedy.

Renaissance Man: As goofy as he is, Bolin has an impressive and diverse skillset. By the end of the series, he is a championship level pro-bender, a respected actor, a veteran soldier, and the world's only surviving lavabender. In the comic Turf Wars, he adds "cop" to his resume, joining his brother as part of Republic City's police.

Romantic Runner-Up: He's very nice and funny, but Korra chooses his more handsome and skilled brother over him.

Runaway Groom: He skipped town before his wedding to Eska. He later admit he was just too nervous to marry her.

She-Fu: Unlike most earthbenders, Bolin does not rely on a stable stance and frequently incorporates acrobatic flourishes in his attacks. This may have been a habit carried over from his pro-bending days where success frequently meant being able to dodge and attack at the same time.

Sibling Triangle: Both he and Mako liked Korra at the beginning of season one. It came to its peek in "The Spirit of Competition" and to an end when Bolin realized that his romantic interest in Korra wasn't reciprocated.

Sibling Yin-Yang: Bolin is the easygoing, naive one of the two. Mako's serious, though not quite as downcast as his clone. Life in the streets toughened him up, and he feels responsible for both himself and his younger brother, being he's the only family he has left. They are a bit opposite in body builds as well: Mako is more wiry while Bolin is stocky.

Shockwave Stomp: Bolin demonstrates this in Book 4, bowling over a group of captors. And he wasn't trying to hurt them.

Sleeves Are for Wimps: He tears off the sleeves of his fancy suit before fighting a group of waterbenders trying to kidnap President Raiko and his wife.

Stepford Smiler: Implied, he claims that sometimes he cries himself to sleep. The fact he mentions it while on the subject of pro-bending indicates he didn't take losing so early (and easily) at the start of Book 2 well.

Stout Strength: He is on the bulkier side than his thinner teammates, but still shows good levels of strength.

Although it's hard to see normally, since they use different hairstyles, color scheme and wear very different expressions, Mako and Bolin do look quite alike, as seen when Bolin does an impression of his brother and becomes nearly identical.◊

Token Good Teammate: His expressive nature and loyalty has made him unknowingly fill this role to Kuvira's Big Bad. He supports the Earth Empire purely because he wants to help people, but not for any sort of power lust. He realizes the truth in "Enemy at the Gates".

Took a Level in Badass: In "Enter the Void", just as he, Asami, Mako and Tenzin are about to be engulfed in Ghazan's lava, Bolin discovers his ability to lavabend. And it gets even better in Book 4, Bolin has spent nearly three years in Kuvira's army, his earthbending has improved drastically and he's nearly Ghazan's level when it comes to lavabending.

Took a Level in Jerkass: In Book 2, Varrick making him a mover star goes straight to his head, even to point he plants an unwanted kiss on Ginger and acts flippant towards Mako. He gets over it.

Took the Bad Film Seriously: Invoked Bolin seems to genuinely believe in the movers he's making, even when other people think they're hilarious. When Varrick is telling his Abridged Series-style recap mover of Bolin's life, he's the only one upset about how it doesn't make any sense.

Well-Intentioned Extremist: While a member of a totalitarian regime, he was a staunch believer in the Earth Empire as the bringer of law and order, and tries to use his position to improve the lives of citizens of the former Earth Kingdom. He realized entirely too late that he badly misjudged what the real core of the Empire was like, nearly paid the price for his misjudgment, and lost his girlfriend's trust and respect for him, which he had to work hard to earn back.

Wrestler in All of Us: Bolin also has some skill in wrestling and grappling, which he utilized during his one-on-one tiebreaker match with an experienced Black Quarry Boar-q-pine earthbending opponent.

Mako

"Don't worry about it, I'll figure something out. I always do."

Click here for his Book 4 appearance.

Voiced by David Faustino

The elder of two brothers from a mixed-ethnicity union. With Korra and his younger brother Bolin, they form a pro-bending team. Having been a street rat after his parents' death, Mako took it upon himself to care for his brother, and would do anything for him. Around strangers he shows an icy, controlled personality, but around close friends and family can show a much sweeter side.

The Ace: He's handsome, a skilled probender, and someone you can depend on when things get tough.

Amateur Sleuth: Mako proved to be a skilled detective in Book 2, despite being a beat cop at the time.

Amazon Chaser: Mako joins his brother in that account, mentioning that Korra's strong and a good athlete in the list of good qualities in their conversation of her being girlfriend material.

Amicable Exes: Sorta with his two ex-girlfriends. He and Asami still care about each other despite how messed up their relationship became. In Book 2, they even seem to have gotten past their problems altogether and still make an awesome team when they're helping Korra. Later, he and Korra come to this arrangement, after they break up for real. At the beginning of Book 3, while Mako is not negative towards Korra or Asami and they are still very friendly to him, he is a little awkward towards them, but they warm up as it goes on. In Book 4, he's a little annoyed to find out that the two are closer to each other than either are to him, but gets over it.

Anti-Hero: Going with his hard edge, Mako has a wrathful side to him as well, having the capacity to kill or harm anyone who wrongs his brother and friends. This was particularly evident when he threatened an Equalist by raising a flaming fist when seeking information regarding Korra's whereabouts.

The Atoner: Book 3-onwards, he makes up for his previous badbehavior by being supportive to both the rest of the team and others in general as summed up in "Remembrances."

Him and Korra become this by the end of season one, with "Endgame" showing off this trope beautifully in tagteam against Amon. Although the battle comes just before the couple, the feelings were already on the table. Subverted in that they don't remain a couple, as they decide to stay as Just Friends in season 2.

Downplayed with Asami. Both of them show their fighting skills before (Mako) and during (Asami) their romance, but rarely fought together. Which doesn't matter in the end, since they broke up by the Book 1 finale and again (offscreen) by the Book 2 finale.

Belated Love Epiphany: In "Out Of The Past", when searching for the missing Korra, Mako realizes he's in love with her. Stated in "Endgame", several episodes later.

Belligerent Sexual Tension: Deconstructed with Korra. She and Mako have a bit of this going on in the first half of Book 1 as they constantly butt heads but admit to being attracted to each other and become an Official Couple by the Book One finale. However, by Book 2, the real-life consequences to having this kind of relationship is in full play — They have contrasting personalities but a similar stubborn and short-temperedness, differing opinions on how to handle the Water Tribe civil war, which only gets more complicated due to the different but equally important responsibilities their jobs have ultimately leads to an official break-up by the Book Two season finale and both agreeing that while they make great friends they don't really work as a couple.

Mike: The earlier episodes had set up that Korra and Mako were kinda at each other's throats but they also kinda have a little attraction to each other.

Better as Friends: After ending his relationships with Asami and Korra he has assured both that he still cares for them and will always be there to help. Making him essentially the Big Brother to the whole team.

The "Archie" for Asami's "Betty" (Spoiled Sweet nonbender) and Korra's "Veronica" (Hot-Blooded Avatar). The Love Triangle is a...complicated one. Initially, Mako and Asami are a couple, but the former has a small Green-Eyed Epiphany moment when Bolin wants to seriously date Korra, leading to a confrontation between her and Mako resulting in a "Shut Up" Kiss...while he's still in a relationship with Asami. Over time, his feelings for Korra become more obvious, and that plus Asami learning of their kiss from Bolin, results in her and Mako ending their relationship. Come Book 2, Korra and Mako are dating, but are having disagreements with one another due to conflicting loyalties and temperament, leading to their break-up; and later on, he gets back together with Asami...only to tell an amnesiac Korra that she and him are still dating. At the end of Book 2, all three of them decide they are Better as Friends.

He finally ends up as the "Veronica" (hot-headed and argumentative) to Asami's "Betty" (sweet-tempered and thoughtful), with Korra as the "Archie". There was some Ship Tease between Korra and each of her romantic suitors, but in the end, she chooses to be with Asami.

Big Brother Instinct: Regardless of his rough edges, Mako loves Bolin, and he's fiercely loyal and very protective of him. He willingly took (and presently still does take) most burdens and responsibilities of their living conditions.

There is a shade of deconstruction to this trope as it applies to Mako. He sheltered his brother from the harsh realities and darker nature of their environment, which led to Bolin's current naiveté and dependency.

Even after breaking up with them Mako is still incredibly protective of both Asami and Korra. This also extends to Wu who he treats with much the same exasperation and protective nature as he did Bolin.

Bond One-Liner: In Book 2, he keeps an entire list on hand to use when he captures criminals.

The Bore: Something that becomes more apparent in the last two seasons. Mako is not very good at communicating with people in a lively manner, or keeping people's attention when he's asked to write a letter, act in a play or make a public announcement, often defaulting to emotionless, official expo-babble.

Both Sides Have a Point: Mako and Korra during the Water Tribe Civil War. Korra, a member of the Tribe, is trying to get the Republic involved in the said war on the side she supports, and engages in what actually amounts to sedition (conspiring with senior officers to flout the civilian government's policy of neutrality) to do so once her legal options are exhausted. Whereas Mako, a Republic citizen and officer in the police, cannot condone this and reveals the plot to the President, who then proceeds to decisively clip the wings of the conspiracy (though Korra herself gets off with a stern warning). The results: Korra is mad at Mako and feels he has betrayed her and her people, who are struggling for their lives against oppression, while Mako is mad at Korra for putting him in an impossible situation and essentially expecting him to betray his own country for her. While Korra comes off worse as far as their personal relationship goes, both still have good reasons to act as they do, as each of them is only being loyal to his or her own people.

Broken Ace: While not as bad as Korra, Mako does have shades of this trope (mostly seen in the first book). His parents were murdered right in front of him as a boy which gave Mako a very cynical outlook on life, he spend the better part of his early life pickpocketing and stealing to keep Bolin and himself alive, has difficulty interacting with other people and admits that before meeting Korra he cared more about making money then helping other people. He eventually grows out of this though, becoming more self-sacrificing and selfless to other people besides his brother, thanks to Korra's example (although he's still pretty awkward around people).

Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: In the Series Finale Mako shoots a continuous beam of lightning into the spirit vine core of Kuvira's Colossus in order to make it unstable and cause it to explode. While this does work the resulting feedback from the core burns Mako's arm up to his elbow and a bolt of energy knocks him unconscious (which would have killed him if Bolin hadn't returned in time to save him from the explosion). When we see him again at Varrick's party his arm is in a sling so it's unknown exactly who much damage the attack did.

Bromantic Foil: Mako is the serious, cynical, aloof older brother who has problems expressing his true feelings (i.e. the whole Love Triangle fiasco could've been avoided if he was more truthful). Bolin is the silly, cheerful, immature younger brother who is never afraid to cry, fanboy, or express whatever he's feeling. Mako ends up a Celibate Hero, while Bolin becomes an Official Couple with Opal.

Brutal Honesty: Mako will tell his opinion regardless of what others might be feeling. This trait comes in handy in Book 4 when he's bodyguarding Wu; his harsh, but truthful honesty over the young prince's ineptitude and him not being ready to be King, actually allowed Wu to admit those flaws and work his way to being a good king.

Butt-Monkey: At the start of Book 3, he's noticeably been on the receiving end of several pranks and misfortunes including but not limited to: Having a door airbended into his face, being made to act "evil" for a show and getting tossed around by Korra mid-performance, having to sleep in a trash pile (along with Bolin) and being the subject of a lot of teasing by Korra and Asami. Apart from that, he ends up getting into all sorts of trouble ever since Kai came along. Overcomes it by the end of Book 3, gaining mutual respect/understanding with Kai and demonstrating again that he is a quick-thinking force to be reckoned with in a life or death fight.

Bystander Syndrome: In Book 2. Too focused on his job that he doesn't help Bolin or Korra with their problems and only helps Asami with hers because it aligns with said job.

By-the-Book Cop: When he joins the police force, he does his best to be this. He often finds himself in situations that the Book wasn't meant to cover, though, and he's not completely inflexible when that happens. However, his attitude to play by the book is what gets him in conflict with Korra's recklessness and risk-taking, which leads to their breakup.

The Captain: Of the pro-bending team, the Fire Ferrets. However, after Book 1, he quits when he becomes an off-duty cop.

Cassandra Truth: The police refuse to listen to his suspicions about the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center bombing because he's a rookie and once was a Triad.

Celibate Hero: After all that's happened, he gives up on relationships altogether and decides it's for the best. However, Word of God states that his experiences with Asami and Korra will help him become a better partner in any future relationships.

In "Remembrance", Mako's gets outlined, which is important given how seldom he talks about himself or his feelings. It basically shows how he has gone from a guy who cared mostly about making enough money to make his and his brother's lives better, to someone who wants to live for the sake of others, including strangers. All thanks to Korra's example, who continues to inspire him despite all the negative things that have passed between them.

His development also applies to his future romantic relationships post series. Word of God has confirmed that even though Mako didn't get back together with either Korra or Asami his experiences with both will make him a better partner in any new relationships he has in the future.

By Book 4, while Mako does keep his stoic demeanor, he's a lot less brooding and angsty than in Book 1.

Charles Atlas Superpower: Not as big an example as Korra, but Mako has shown considerably more upper-body strength than his body type would normally allow. He grabbed an Equalist that held his brother from behind, and launched him over his head somewhere yonder and far off-screen. Then in episode five, he effortlessly carried muscled, stocky Bolin (who just ate and was flailing around) on his shoulder like a rag doll without an inkling of weight strain. And possibly took him home the distance from the noodle shop to the pro-bending arena that way.

Chick Magnet: Has obtained the affections of both Korra and Asami and more. It's also lampshaded.

Conflicting Loyalty: Mako has to choose between helping Korra or his duty as a cop. Mako ultimately chooses his job, leading to their breakup. This, decision however was motivated by the fact that Korra was acting out of line.

Crash-Into Hello: How he meets Asami — she accidentally hits him with her moped due to his jaywalking.

Crazy-Prepared: Book 2 reveals that he's started to write and memorize lists of one-liners that he can use after winning a fight. Some of these are context-sensitive.

Redirecting lightning while being electrocuted and frying one of the platinum Mini Mechas by it in episode ten also counts.

He's also the first person to ever get the better of Amon, which Amon himself compliments. He did this by firing lightning while being bloodbended.

He's able to fire off a sustained blast of lightning to overload The Colossus' energy reactor, when most firebenders would be able to fire very short bursts of lightning at best.

The Ditherer: As Korra's Foil, he does his best to avoid conflict and will ignore problems, suppress his own feelings, or follow a You Didn't Ask policy if it means avoiding awkward conversations. His cousin Tu finally calls this out: "You're so afraid about disappointing anyone that you end up disappointing everyone."

The Drag-Along: By Book 3, he's more reluctant to go on adventures after everything that's happened to him, and is less willing to get in any sort of trouble. All it took to convince him was for Bolin to guilt-trip him.

First Love: For Asami and Korra, who, after the romantic fiasco that was Book 2, have lost all romantic interest in him. For added irony, the Second Love for both end up being each other.

Foil: To Korra — Mako is a light-skinned native from Republic City. His and Bolin's parents were killed when they were quite young, and since then, they had to always try to make ends meet. Mako is the "cool-under-fire" guy, meaning he doesn't let his emotions cloud his judgement, making it hard to express his real feelings; Korra is the dark-skinned native from the Southern Water Tribe, and is of Mixed Ancestry because her parents were born into different Water Tribes (Mother-Southern, Father-Northern). Her parents were with her entire life, and admitted that other people (her parents and the White Lotus) were always taking care of her. Before a huge amount of Character Development, she was prone to emotional outbursts and never was afraid to let people know what she thought. In addition, Mako believes in structure and plays by the book, while Korra does things her way and leads Team Avatar as a free-for-all.

The Generic Guy: Evolves into this over the course of the series. His major character arcs revolved around him supporting Bolin (who became self sufficient by Season 2, first as a movie star and later military officer) and his relationships with Korra and Asami (he breaks up with both by Season 3). By Season 4 he's just a disgruntled security guard towards Prince Wu, and good to his friends whenever they need his help. This is highlighted in the clip show episode where he was shown to be the only member of the core team without anything on the line going into the finale or any real motivation beyond loyalty to the others and goodwill towards people in general. His clips were just him casually talking about events to the people in his house in contrast to Korra in a mentoring session with Tenzin or Bolin in an exaggerated movie plot at sea with Varrick. He's easily the most regular guy of the main cast, somewhat of an aversion of the tropes usually associated with the Fireelementalof a team roster.

Great Detective: He has amazing perception and has been able to lead Team Avatar to look beneath the surface when things seem fishy. After finding a steady job as a policeman, he very quickly rises to detective rank after Chief Beifong becomes impressed with his abilities.

To his chagrin in "The Spirit of Competition", when Bolin and Korra head out on their date. Korra calls him out on it after he wrongly accuses her of using his brother for an Operation: Jealousy ploy.

It also serves as a small Green-Eyed Epiphany. It's implied that whatever he's feeling for Korra has been suppressed, and for good reason (his brother and Asami are core causes). It isn't until Bolin takes his interest for her seriously that Mako begins to confront what he's been denying. The ensuing mess that occurred there (which led to Bolin's heart being broken), had Mako and Korra decide to be Just Friends, at least until Book 1's end.

Heterosexual Life-Partners: A sibling example, with Bolin. They've always had each other backs and often give each other advice, be it with their bending or with the ladies. He also, eventually, develops one with Wu in Book 4.

Hidden Depths: Book 2 shows Mako with great detective skills. Mako is also good at reading maps, as he figured out where the Equalist rally was located by looking at the maps he and Korra obtained from the Equalist protester.

I Did What I Had to Do: His justification for his past dealings with the Triple Threat Triad. He needed to provide for himself and Bolin somehow, and didn't have many options.

Innocently Insensitive: He isn't purposefully insensitive all the time, but has had to apologize for his mistakes/behavior more than twice. Especially evident when he doesn't realize that his excessive attention on Korra when she gets kidnapped upsets Asami.

Ironic Name: Mako's name is Japanese for "child of truth", but given his lack of truth during the Love Triangle fiasco... Yeah, Mako needs definite work with being honest about his feelings.

It Runs in the Family: According to Mako's grandmother, his commitment issues are something he inherited from his grandfather.

It's All About Me: Admits in "Remembrances" that he used to have this mindset, (especially in Book 2,) seeking only the cash to get he and Bolin out of the gutter before Korra inspired him to be altruistic.

His initial brushing off of Bolin at the start of Book 2 is cold, but since a war between the Water Tribes were going on and Mako had a busy job, it's not unusual for him to not have time to help his brother. Plus, Mako also correctly stated that Bolin had to figure out what he wanted to do on his own.

Mako gives a major What the Hell, Hero? moment to Korra for how her rash behavior and need for everyone to be on her side is immature and ridiculous on her part.

His suspicions of Kai being a trouble making thief turns out to be true, thankfully the young airbender turns over a new leaf.

After putting up with Wu's immature behavior, Mako rightfully tells Wu that he's not ready to be king and that while Kuvira may be an extremist, she at least has the maturity and focus to complete tasks.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In contrast to his brother, Mako can come off rather grouchy and irritable. While Bolin is initially very friendly with Korra, Mako clashes with her. But he's capable of kindness, rather warm-hearted to those he knows well, and acknowledges when he's in the wrong as well as gives credit where credit is due.

Justified Criminal: He once worked for the Triple Threat Triad for money. While he only ran numbers and "stuff", he's not proud of what he did and forbids Bolin from doing the same once they cut ties with them.

The Lancer: To Korra, as both a personality foil, and as the most stalwart ally and deputy. In the finale he pledges undying loyalty to her for any future adventures.

The Last DJ: In a sense, he's this to New Team Avatar, as he's the only person who hasn't been won over by Varrick in some way.

The Leader: Of the Level-headed variety as Captain of the Fire Ferrets, being easily the most mature, practical and experienced member of the group.

Lightning Bruiser: When it comes to pro-bending, as the sport calls for it. In his introduction in "A Leaf in the Wind" he defeats a pro-bending team single-handedly while demonstrating power, speed, and endurance. He was considered one of the top players in the pro-bending arena with reason.

Long-Range Fighter: Type II. While Mako somewhat held his own when fighting the Lieutenant at close-quarters, he still got quickly overwhelmed (more so when compared to Korra and Asami). He's much more formidable when he keeps his distance and uses ranged attacks.

Lovable Jock: Downplayed. Mako is more gruff than his brother, but will give credit to his teammates when they do a good job.

Love at First Sight: Blushed the second he laid eyes on Asami, and then later had floating hearts surrounding his head. They dated pretty quickly after. Unfortunately, it fell into the disillusionment category.

Love Martyr: There isn't much he won't do for someone he loves. Unfortunately, one of those things is asking them for help or comfort. The only way he knows how to express his love is by waiting on them hand-and-foot or getting the crap kicked out of him on their behalf. Being unable to actually participate in a relationship results in breakdowns in communication, and ultimately repeated break-ups. He ends the series single.

Master of the Mixed Message: In episodes 9-11, he keeps showing excessive concern and attention to Korra, ignoring his girlfriend Asami while still denying having feelings for Korra. Asami is not happy about it and calls him out of it.

Morality Pet: Deconstructed. Whenever Korra tackles a situation emotionally, he often tries to remind her that her not getting her way happens for a good reason. Korra, however, just dismisses it as him taking another person's side, which upsets Mako greatly. Finally, just when Korra didn't take well the president's (well-meaning) refusal to help her, he was tired of having to worry about Korra messing up, so he decided to tell the president about what she was planning.

Mundane Utility: He uses his lightning skill to earn money by working at a power plant.

Never My Fault: Another main recurring flaw with Mako. Whenever he makes a mistake in something, he downplays his wrong actions, shifting the blame to someone else.

When he and Korra shared their first kiss and Bolin catches them and runs away heartbroken, Mako puts all the blame on Korra. Yes, she did initiate it through a "Shut Up" Kiss, but Mako reciprocated it, making them both equally at fault.

And when Asami finds about their kiss, Mako's first reaction is to get angry at Bolin for telling the truth, but Asami immediately tells hims off — saying he shouldn't blame Bolin for his mistake and that Mako, himself, should've told her about the kiss.

This is brought up in "Remembrances" by his cousin Tu and Prince Wu, as when Mako attempts to divert responsibility for his bad actions toward both Korra and Asami, the two rightfully call him out on it.

No Social Skills: In terms of relationship conventions. It's pretty clear that he doesn't know how to deal with people and personal feelings very well.

His leaving Bolin to do whatever came back to bite Mako in both needing Bolin's help and provingVarrick wasn't on the level.

In Book 2, while he can accurately point out Korra's going off the rails, he can't be bothered to actually help her situation beyond "that's a bad idea."

Him guilt-tripping Korra over not writing him during the three-year Time Skip is not only unjustified because trust was a big factor in their previous relationship, but during the rescue mission, repeats all the same problems of said relationship as a reminder why not to.

His segment in "Remembrances" in talking about his Character Development is muddied by him still lying until pressed such as dating Asami, which the others call out on.

Not So Above It All: His first encounter with Asami leaves him a slack-jawed, love-drunk idiot emitting pink hearts. There's also when he and Bolin were shoving each other underwater in Asami's pool, the way two brothers would mess around with each other.

Not So Stoic: The mask does slip from time to time, though, such as in his reaction to Asami and behavior when Korra is kidnapped. It's also a pretty bad idea to threaten Bolin.

Not with Them for the Money: He isn't interested in Asami for her money. He does appreciate the luxury that comes from being her boyfriend, though. However, it didn't help his case that his interest in her started waning around the time she was cut off from said luxury.

Old Flame: He and Asami went on a few dates in "The Guide", but events (namely Mako going to prison until he was proven innocent, and then Mako not immediately telling Korra they had broken up) spoil that. Bolin calls them out on it at the time mere days since Korra left and then in "Remembrances," Wu, Tu and Grandma Yin call him out on trying to act as if he'd never dated Asami at all.

One-Hour Work Week: Mako may be a cop, but he's got plenty of time for adventures without it compromising his job. It's also justified due to the fact that not only is his boss Lin Beifong (usually) in on what the Avatar does, but she occasionally accompanies him on his adventures too.

Only Friend: Mako is forced to work with and be around Prince Wu, and Team Avatar saves him. None of them bother hiding dislike at his antics and the friendliest behavior he gets from them is stone-faced tolerance. He still says they're the best friends a guy could have. Is this pure obliviousness, or has he never had friends? Despite some supporters early on he also suggests that he's never had a girlfriend.

Only in It for the Money: Being a past Street Urchin and understandably needing cash (he and Bolin are still poor) to keep them from having to return to that life, this is Mako's main goal for competing in the pro-bending tournaments — to hit that jackpot. It's no surprise that he quits in the following season to join the police force, which doubtless pays a decent wage.

Only Sane Man: Shares the role with Asami, being one of the more level-headed members of the team. Becomes the sole voice of reason after "The Sting", being the only one who knows Varrick is behind the sabotage of Future Industries, and now no one believes him, not even his own brother.

Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: In-universe example. He has only a slight Brooklyn accent around people he doesn't know personally (Korra, Butakha), but it gets heavier when he talks to Bolin or other street kids.

Opposites Attract: With Korra. Mako is serious and collected, Korra is hotheaded and headstrong. Ultimately subverted as their opposite natures (as well as tense situations) end up pushing them apart, but they remain good friends.

Out of Focus: In Seasons 3 and 4 he has noticeably less screentime than usual, being relegated to a comic relief subplot and disappearing for three episodes in a row in Season 4. He is also the only lead character not to have his own personal subplot in Season 4, whereas Korra, Asami and Bolin all are given their own personal obstacles to overcome as the season goes on. Mako, on the other hand, is used to further the character arc of a secondary character, Prince Wu. Of course, Tropes Are Not Bad considering the first half of the series had him rivaling Korra, herself in screentime.

Pals with Jesus: Invoked in "The Sting" where he offered to convince Korra to restore the bending of one of the Triple Threats members if they aided him.

Poor Communication Kills: He has a major problem with this, and it often causes him to look bad in front of everyone. When it came to Varrick trying to get the president to go to war, he was just too uncomfortable to let it pass, taking matters into his own hands without trying to fully explain to everyone the harsh implications of doing so.

Pretty Boy: Visually, of course, as well as outright called a "beautiful man" by the creators.

Promotion to Parent: Mako took care of Bolin at a young age, while the two of them were living on the streets.

Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: He has black hair and pale skin like most people of Fire Nation descent. His voice actor describes him as "tall and handsome" and the official bios consistently state that he's good-looking.

Relationship Sabotage: A minor case with trying to deflect Bolin's interest in Korra by claiming she is not girlfriend material after saying aloud to Bolin a sentence earlier that she was. And emphasizing that dating a teammate is a bad idea. Of course, this doesn't deter Bolin at all, and it could be said that a part of Mako was looking out for him in some way. It's likely the reasons he gave Bolin were also reasons he'd given himself to not explore his own attraction to Korra (especially since not dating a teammate is valid advice). So he had probably already decided to sabotage his own relationship with Korra, too, resulting in choosing to date Asami.

Relationship Upgrade: At the end of Book 1, he becomes an Official Couple with Korra, but they eventually break up due to their conflicting personalities and priorities as well as the fact he took advantage of her memory loss when she forgot they broke up in the first place which resulted in their final break-up.

The Reliable One: One dominant aspect about Mako is that he's someone you can count on when things get tough. However, this trope is zigzagged from Book 2 onwards as he initially too focused on his work for the others to count on him for help then in Book 3 starts as The Drag-Along though starts to commit before immediately playing it straight in Book 4.

Romantic False Lead: At the end of the series Mako is revealed to have been this for both Korra and Asami as the two of them become each other's true Official Couple. Word of God even confirmed that, even if Korrasami wasn't made canon at the end of the series, Mako was only intended to be Korra's love interest for the end of season 1.

Romantic Runner-Up: Based on the finale, Mako ultimately ended up being this for both Korra and Asami, who end up with each other. It's actually one of the things the girls bonded over in Book 3.

Sexual Karma: He has a problem with dithering behavior concerning his romances with Asami and Korra which ultimately ended up sinking both. He is also the only member of Team Avatar not paired up with a significant other by series end; even Bolin finds love in Opal's arms. Ironically, the two women with whom he had messy relationships ended up together in the end.

Shipper on Deck: Gives Bolin advice on how to spend time with Opal. Even before that, he initially supported Bolin with Korra... before Mako got interested in her, too.

Shock and Awe: He can both generate and redirect lightning, as well as being able to shoot long, sustained blasts as well as short bursts of lightning.

Sibling Rivalry: Bolin and Mako fell out with each other Book 2, that Bolin decided to move out on his own. They eventually patch things up.

Sibling Triangle: Both he and Bolin liked Korra at the beginning of season one. It came to its peek in "The Spirit of Competition" and to an end when Bolin realized that his romantic interest in Korra wasn't reciprocated.

Sibling Yin-Yang: Mako's serious, though not quite as downcast as his clone. Life in the streets toughened him up, and he feels responsible for both himself and his younger brother, being he's the only family he has left. Bolin is the easygoing, naive one of the two. They are a bit opposite in body builds as well: Mako is more wiry while Bolin is stocky.

Wu's suggestion that they evacuate the civilians of Republic City in advance of Kuvira's assault makes Mako feel this way about him. Subverted when we find out it was just a ploy to impress Korra.

Played straight in "Kuvira's Gambit" after he gives a good Rousing Speech that convinces the citizens of Republic City to calmly evacuate, both Lin and Mako give him props (especially after the latter completely botched his attempt to do the same). Mako was speechless afterwards.

And in the series finale, Mako again expresses praise when he hears about how level-headed Prince Wu was during the evacuation. And Korra herself expresses praise when he reveals his intent to dissolve the monarchy and let the states govern themselves. She even promises to help him make the transition as smooth as possible.

The Southpaw: It's not explicitly shown, and all benders have a natural degree of ambidexterity due to the nature of their craft, but Mako is often shown leading with his left hand/foot - most prominent in his sustained lighting-bending at the end of Book 4.

The Spock: To Korra's McCoy and Bolin's and Asami's Kirk. He always thinks with his heads and often is the voice of reason. However, this is deconstructed in Book 2, Korra needs emotional support in addition to practical solutions, but he can only point out the perspective of others and/or her own flaws.

The Stoic: He's controlled, keeps a cool head under pressure, and masks his expression with indifference.

The Stool Pigeon: Of the Whistleblower Wilson variety. He sold Korra (along with Varrick, Asami, and Bolin) out to the President, but he truly believed the whole plan was a terrible, amoral idea.

Straight Man and Wise Guy: The stoic, aloof Straight Man to Bolin's silly, goofy Wise Guy. Later, after Bolin signs up with Kuvira, Prince Wu takes the place as the Wise Guy.

The Strategist: Came up with a plan to get Bolin and escape the rally. In fact, his rationality and analytical mind are often highlighted.

Street Urchin: Before the events of the show. Mako is still well-versed in street info and connections, knowing the location of the Triple Threat Triad headquarters after working for them, and about chi-blocking and the Equalists. He also uses this knowledge to know Kai's Street Urchin status shouldn't be overlooked.

To his late mother. His paternal grandmother mentions that they both have the same eyes.

Although it's hard to see normally, since they use different hairstyles, color scheme and wear very different expressions, Mako and Bolin do look quite alike, as seen when Bolin does an impression of his brother and becomes nearly identical.◊

Strong Girl, Smart Guy: Mako is a thoughtful and rational guy with an analytical mind that is often highlighted when he comes up with smart plans, while Korra is a tough-as-nails master of the four elements who almost always tries to solve any problem with figthing.

Sugar-and-Ice Personality: To those he doesn't know or doesn't care for, he is generally cold. To people he either knows or wants to know better, like Asami's father, he is much warmer.

Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To a small extent. The creators said he reminds them of Zuko "without the angst"; a bit of a brooder but he's "lighter". This is ironic, considering that much of the fandom compare his personality to that of Katara.

Tall, Dark, and Handsome: A straight example. Even his voice actor described him as "tall and handsome", and his official bios are consistent in restating this fact. The show isn't shy about it either.

Jinora: Oooh, he's cute. Korra, is that the handsome firebender boy that drives you crazy?

Tall, Dark, and Snarky: Occasionally, such as when Naïve Newcomer Korra makes a mistake he will snark about it. Having to ferry clueless Prince Wu about brings it out as well, along with some amazing long-suffering expressions.

Team Dad: He's the level headed one who keeps Korra from going guns a' blazing to handle a dilemma, and is a stickler about rules. This isn't even adding his whole relationship dynamic with his brother. "And The Winner Is..." had him step in defense of Korra during a round with the Wolfbats, attempting to block a three-on-one attack that almost knocked them both out the ring. He also shows concern about her going after Amon and the Equalists, telling her to be careful. Once she comes out of that fight unscathed, he runs up to her fretfully and gives her a hug, glad to see she's okay. He's certainly very protective about people he cares about.

To Be Lawful or Good: The President was increasingly suspicious of Korra's activity, and asked Mako if she was planning something. He had to remind Mako that he made an oath to his country. This is enough to tip the balance between Mako's love for Korra and his own morals and duties in favor of the later, and he tells Raiko about Korra and Varrick's plan to go directly to the military of Republic City. However, he explains he made this decision for Korra's own sake as well, because he can't constantly worry about her making a wrong decision. At the end, it all evens out because it led Korra to see what she was really up against, and he finds out Varrick isn't entirely their ally.

Took a Level in Badass: Goes from an average probender who only cared about money and Bolin to an ace detective who has improved his bending drastically and has also become a full-on All-Loving Hero.

Took a Level in Idealism: In Book 1, Mako only cared about his and Bolin's well being. By Book 4, he is now putting the welfare of other people, (not just him, Bolin, or his friends) first.

Took a Level in Kindness: As of the second season, he's less jerk, more heart of gold. He's trying his best to be supportive and understanding of Korra, at least. Took on another level in Book 3, when he starts to be more supportive of Bolin. By the series finale, Mako has fully evolved into an All-Loving Hero.

Tragic Keepsake: His red scarf is confirmed to have belonged to his father. He gives it to his grandmother when he and Bolin meet his father's family in Ba Sing Se.

Undying Loyalty: To Bolin. The majority of Mako's life has been spent protecting and caring for the basic needs of his little brother, something that doesn't appear to be changing at all as they enter adulthood. In the end, he declares his loyalty to Korra, pledging to follow her anywhere.

Uptight Loves Wild: Deconstructed. When the reserved and stoic Mako was dating the Hot-Blooded and energetic Korra, their personalities didn’t work out. The problems that happen in Book 2 (Korra finding out her father and Tenzin lying to her about why she was kept at the compound, her uncle manipulating, the war between the Southern and Northern Water Tribes) has them both on opposing ways to deal with it – Mako remains objective and gives Korra the best answer he can think of, but Korra acts rash and impulsive, even willing to use a Republic City military vessel to carry out her plans. Unsurprisingly, they get into a heated argument over how the other one is handling the situation, leading to their break-up.

Vitriolic Best Buds: This is pretty much his regular dynamic with Korra, and even lampshades it in "Reunions" stating that getting on each others nerves is like old times.

With Asami as of the Book 1 finale after he realizes his feelings for Korra. They briefly get back together during Book 2 after his break up with Korra, but after he refuses to tell an amnesiac Korra of their break up, his and Asami's romance ends for good. Come Book 3, they are now friends, but he is still awkward around her because of their past history. He gets over it.

With Korra after their official break up in the Book 2 finale. Like Asami, Mako acts awkward around Korra for the same reasons but gets over it.

Worthy Opponent: Gets this from Amon in the Book 1 finale, after resisting his bloodbending and electrocuting him at point-blank range. On the other hand, this praise is leavened by Amon kicking the crap out of him for so worthy an attack.

Amon: I'm impressed. No one has ever gotten the better of me like that. It is almost a shame to purify someone so talented. Almost.

Would Hit a Girl: If he doesn't outright kill Ming-Hua during the final battle in Book 3, he at very least seriously injures her and dooms her when Ghazan collapses the whole mountain moments later. In his defense, it was her or him.

Badass Adorable: She is big and strong enough to topple three Equalist-mechas, but once you befriend her, she is a loving puppy.

Bears Are Bad News: Korra is the first person to ever tame a polar-bear dog, which are fierce enough that a previous Avatar wore the hide of one to look more badass. She can and does use Naga as an intimidation tool, and Naga is fiercely protective of Korra.

Big Damn Heroes: Like her predecessor in the "larger animal companion" category, Appa, she has a habit of extricating our heroes from dicey situations in the nick of time.

Big, Friendly Dog: Her Establishing Character Moment is licking Korra's face over and over. Her friendliness extends to those beyond Korra too, as seen when she licks a police attendant's hair. In one case, she roared viciously at an interloper only to discover it was Lin Beifong, and then proceeded to lick Lin as she still stood there petrified by the startling roar.

Loyal Animal Companion: She adores Korra and does her best to protect her. In "The Voice in the Night", it's shown that Korra lets Naga sleep next to her bed. When Korra was kidnapped, she tracked her down on her own.

A literal example; she even traveled far out of Republic City to rescue Korra.

Carries over to the rest of Team Avatar by the end of Book 1 when she rescues Asami, Bolin and General Iroh after they were captured trying to take out the Equalist's airbase. Later in the same episode, she takes out three Equalist mecha tanks that were attacking Bolin.

"Naga" is Inuktitut for "no." Given that Korra is the first person to have tamed a polar bear dog, and the Water Tribe is based on Inuit culture, one can imagine Korra had to yell "No!" enough that the name stuck.

Nāga are a type of entity or deity in Hindu mythology that are often depicted as guardian spirits. Vishnu, the great preserver god of Hinduism and manifestation of ten different avatars, has a nāga guardian.

Mighty Roar: Delivers one of these to Jerk AssPretty Boy Tahno, in episode five, scaring him and his team away from a confrontation with Korra and Bolin.

Mix-and-Match Critters: Naga's hind end is thinner, like a dog's, while her front has bear-like proportions. Her skull shape is more ursine, while her floppy ears and slobbery jowls are more canine.

The Nose Knows: She's a scent tracker as well. The team employed her olfactory senses to track Aiwei after his duplicity was exposed and he fled Zaofu.

Only Friend: Naga was Korra's only friend during her years at the compound in the Southern Water Tribe.

Super Strength: She's capable of toppling three Equalist Mecha-Tanks at once by grabbing their grapple lines and giving a hard tug. She can also batter down wrought iron prison bars.

Undying Loyalty: To Korra. Considering that she's part dog, and Korra's spirit guide, this is a given.

Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Nobody comments on the very large, potentially dangerous animal running around Republic City. Except in the pilot, where more focus is given to Korra's bad 'driving' then Naga.

Pabu

"See? Pabu's not just a one trick poodle pony." - Bolin

A fire ferret. Bolin's pet and partner in crime.

Demoted to Extra: Pabu, along with Naga, only makes minor appearances in Book 4.

Nonhuman Sidekick: Pabu is primarily Bolin's fire ferret companion. Bolin has left him with Ikki in Book 4 while he serves in Kuvira's army.

Non-Indicative Name: Despite the species name, Fire Ferrets aren't native to the Fire Nation but from central Earth Kingdom according to Jinora. It may actually refer to "fire fox", another name for the red panda.

Timmy in a Well: Though Mako and Korra are dubious at first, it turns out Bolin's bond with him really is good enough to get across when they need a rescue.note Contrast with Momo in the original series, who normally missed such nuances the first several times.

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